According to the Ministry of Health, r GP clinics have recently seen a surge in the number of patients. Many of these patients visited the clinics just to ask for a letter or memo certifying their recovery from COVID-19 infection, to support their return to work or to school.
MOH said that these visits are not necessary. Those who tested positive with Antigen Rapid Test (ART) do not need a letter or memo from doctors to certify they have recovered in order to return to work or to school. They are to self-isolate at home for at least 72 hours and if they are well, they may exit isolation once they test negative with a self-administered ART. Making unnecessary visits to the GP clinics will risk compromising the standard of care for others who really need medical attention.
Employers and employees
Employers and employees are advised to familiarise themselves with the COVID-19 health protocols. Employers should not ask for recovery memos upon return. Employees who test positive for COVID-19 (either through self-test or at a GP clinic) should immediately inform their employers and not return to the workplace, in order to prevent the virus from spreading.
Those who are well should be allowed to work from home if they are able to do so. If they are unable to work from home, their employers should treat the period of absence as paid sick leave without requiring a medical certificate (MC) from the employees.
For employees who are on Protocol 2, they may self-administer ART after at least 72 hours of isolation. If they are feeling well and test negative, employers should allow them to return to the workplace without requiring any further recovery memo or medical assessment from a doctor. Sharing of the self-test ART results or on-site ART administration can serve as alternatives.
Students
students and staff who contracted COVID-19, or are issued with a Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or Health Risk Warning (HRW) will not have to obtain a recovery memo from their doctors, before returning to school. This applies to students and staff in preschools, Early Intervention centres, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, Special Education (SPED) schools, junior colleges (JCs)/Millennia Institute (MI), as well as IHLs.