Government prepares ordinance that officializes reduction of leave time due to Covid-19

The ministries of Labor and Welfare, Health and Agriculture, Livestock and Supply are in the final stage of reviewing the joint ordinance that will make official the new recommended periods for the isolation of workers with Covid-19. The updated rule must follow the new deadlines released by the Ministry of Health on Monday (10), which started to recommend isolation of five days for asymptomatic and ten days for those with symptoms.

The periods of isolation “are being technically evaluated to ensure safe and healthy work environments”, the Ministry of Labor and Welfare said in a note. The technical teams of the three bodies are finalizing the review of ordinances 19 and 20, published in June 2020, according to the Ministry.

Ordinance 20 foresaw workers’ leave of absence for 14 days in case of confirmation or suspicion of the disease. The same deadline was stipulated for workers who had contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19, even if they did not show symptoms.

The shortening of deadlines comes shortly after the publication of the latest guideline adopted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week. The agency determined the return to work of vaccinated and asymptomatic people in five days.

Experts, however, dispute the safety of the new isolation period.

The update of Brazilian standards takes place at the same time as the rise in cases of Covid-19 and Influenza and a wave of sick leave of employees.

According to Edson Luiz Pinto, vice president of Fhoresp (Federation of Hotels, Restaurants, Bars and Similar Services of the State of São Paulo), the more than 200 thousand bars, restaurants and hotels in the state were burdened by an average distance of 20 to 25% of the staff cadres.

The lack of rapid result tests in the public network meant that employees with symptoms similar to Covid-19 were removed for 10 to 12 days without confirmation of the diagnosis, says the leader, lacking teams in a sector where the hiring and training of temporary workers demand. time and planning, according to Pinto.

The new wave of infections was a bath of cold water but expectations regarding the recovery in the service sector, which expected strong movement and revenue recovery with the increase in family spending during the summer of 2022. The sick leaves also affected the sector aviation, civil construction, health and transport.

Outside of Brazil, the increase in cases attributed to the omnipresent variant and the increase in social interactions at the end of the year has been exacerbated by the resistance of employees to adhere to vaccination campaigns against the disease.

In the UK, companies such as furniture retailer Ikea have taken tougher measures to deal with these cases, such as cutting sick pay for unvaccinated employees.

In Brazil, leaders of business associations and unions such as Fhoresp, Abrasel (Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants), Sincovaga (Sindicato do Comércio de Reajista de Alimentos) and Alshop (Brazilian Association of Shopping Shopkeepers) reported to the leaf that the absence of about one in five employees is marked by mild and moderate cases of the disease, thanks to the widespread vaccination against Covid-19 and flu in regions such as the capital of São Paulo.

Companies with large numbers of employees, such as the Carrefour group, have monitored the vaccination of employees in Brazil. The network reported that it has more than 95% of employees vaccinated with both doses and now monitors booster doses. The company received an international certification seal for hygiene initiatives in its stores and employees suspected of having the disease are immediately removed, the company said, and accompanied by its own medical team.

Magazine Luiza, which employs more than 43,000 people, also reported that employees working face-to-face are tested against the disease and educated on the effectiveness of the vaccine.

New recommendations from the Ministry of Health

The new recommendation released by the Ministry of Health, which has not yet been published in an interministerial decree, establishes five days of leave for patients without respiratory symptoms or fever, who did not use antipyretic medication in the 24 hours before returning.

The employee must present an RT-PCR or antigen test, performed on the fifth day of isolation. If the result is negative, you can return to work. If the test is positive, you must maintain isolation for up to 10 full days.

Asymptomatic patients without the use of antipyretics can return to work if they are isolated for seven days, without the need to present the test.

Those who have symptoms can also return after seven days in isolation if they test negative. Symptomatic patients with a positive test on the seventh day of isolation can return to function after ten full days of absence.