Interministerial Ordinance promotes changes in measures to prevent, control and mitigate the risks of infection by the coronavirus in the workplace

In brief

On Jan 25, 2022, Ordinance MTP/MS No. 14 was published in the Official Gazette triggering important changes in the measures that must be observed by employers for the prevention of infection by COVID19 in the workplace.

More details

Among the changes brought by such Ordinance, there are new and expanded definitions of the concepts of confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 infection, what impacts which employees should be removed from their professional activities.

Further, the absence from work period was reduced from fourteen day to seven or ten days, depending on the specific case.

Another sensitive change was the modification of the wording of the original Ordinance to establish that companies can (as opposed to should) adopt remote working in case of suspected or confirmed cases, leaving such a decision at the discretion of the employer, including in the case of employees who are part of the risk group for developing complications from COVID-19 infection.

Considering that this Ordinance enters into force immediately and that it directly impacts ongoing cases dealing with the subject matter, as well as the working dynamics for companies, our employment team remains available to further discuss and clarify any questions on this matter.