Hong Kong third wave: union urges government to allow civil servants to work from home
- At least 10 staff, including from immigration, and customs and excise departments have recently been confirmed as infected
- But the government has stopped short of reintroducing across-the-board remote working for its employees
The Civil Service Bureau said on Thursday evening that it had told departments they could let staff work remotely as long as public services would not be affected. But the government, as Hong Kong’s largest employer, stopped short of asking civil servants to stay away from the office as they did in late January.
On Friday, the bureau said it had provided departments with additional guidelines on targeted social distancing and infection control measures, including implementing staggered work and lunch hours, and adopting a roster system to ensure services will not be suspended.
A source from the government explained that it was in a better position now to introduce flexible working hours for civil servants, instead of an across-the-board work-from-home rule, as it had secured enough supply of masks for government employees.
