Centre announces 15 days special casual leave for govt employees whose parents test Covid positive

New Delhi: All central government employees will be able to get 15 days of special casual leave (SCL) in case their parents or dependent family members get infected with Covid-19. An order in this regard has been issued by the personnel ministry.

“Department has been receiving several queries requesting for clarification relating to treatment of the hospitalization or quarantine period during the Covid-19 pandemic. The matter has been considered, and keeping in view the hardships faced by the Government servants, it has been decided to treat the period of absence, in relaxation of CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972,” said a statement by the Department of Personnel and Training.

These orders shall be applicable with effect from March 25, 2020, until further orders. In case the government servant comes into direct contact with a COVID-positive person and remains in-home quarantine, “he shall be treated as on-duty/work from home for a period of seven days”, the ministry said in its order dated June 7.

Can take leave even after SCL is over:

If the SCL ends, that is, even after 15 days, any family member is infected or hospitalized, then the leave can be extended further till the government employees are discharged from the hospital.

“In case of active hospitalisation of any of the family members/parents even after 15 days of the expiry of SCL, the government servants may be granted leave of any kind due and admissible beyond 15 days of SCL till their discharge from hospital,” the order said. A government servant shall be granted commuted leave up to 20 days when he or she is COVID-19 positive and is in home isolation/quarantine, the order said.

In case of a government servant testing COVID-19 positive and is in home isolation and has also been hospitalised, he or she shall be granted commuted.