What to do if an employee is infected with COVID-19?
Report to the authorities
If one of your employee is diagnosed with COVID-19 or exposed to someone with COVID-19, you, as the employer, or the responsible manager of the entity, is required to report the case to the competent Health Office.
The Ministry of Health issued decree No. 145 for 2020 to consider COVID-19 as one of the infectious diseases listed in Law No. 137 for 1958 regulating the Health Precautionary Measures to Combat Infectious Diseases (the “Law”).
According to Article 12 of the Law, if a person is tested positive for one of the infectious diseases listed in the Law (COVID-19 is one of them) or is suspected to have infectious, the health authorities have to be reported about such case immediately.
Article 13 provided that the manager of a company will be responsible for doing such reporting. Violating the Law is penalized with a fine and or imprisonment for a period of two months.
Comply with Occupational Safety and Health Measure
According to the Egyptian Labor Law (“ELL”), companies are required to take all necessary occupational safety and health (OSH) measures to protect their employees from the danger of infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and the rest of biological risks in case the nature of the work exposes the employees to infection, especially with being around sick employees.
Employers are also required in this respect to:
- Provide the employees with care service including conduction of medical analyses and examinations depending on the number of employees.
- Provide first aid measures, medical attention and treatment depending on the number of employees.
- Provide periodic medical examination of employees exposed to the risk of any occupational diseases.
- Inform employees of the dangers they are exposed to in case of non-observance of protective measures.
The OSH authorities are currently making intensive inspections on companies to ensure compliance with the OSH measures, so you need to be ready to receive such possible inspection visits at any time.
Please let us know if you would like to know more details about these health and safety measures.
Follow the MOH Guide regarding COVID-19 Preventive Measures
The Egyptian Ministry of Health (“MOH”) issued a Guide for Protection from COVID-19, among the measure required to be taken by entities are the following:
- Prepare a place at the site for isolation of infected people.
- Close any gathering areas or food courts/dining rooms at the site.
- Oblige every person inside the site to put a face mask.
- Apply hygiene and social distancing measures.
- Prepare list of all visitors to the entity.
- Conduct temperature checks for all employees and visitors.
- Encourage employees not come to work if they are feeling unwell (e.g., coughing, sneezing, fever or runny nose).
- Review sick-leave policies to encourage employees to stay home when ill, to reduce transmission to others.
- Provide clean hand washing facilities and alcohol-based hand cleansers in multiple locations throughout the building.
- Factories are allowed to work 24 hours on the conditions that workers are divided into day and night shifts.
- Increase the number of transportation buses or transportation trips for workers.
For more information or inquiries regarding this topic, please contact Dr. Eman Riad.