Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network-Epidemic alert is downgraded to level 2! Ministry of Labor: Epidemic prevention and care leave can still be taken before August 9

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC, 中央流行疫情指揮中心) has recently set the standards for the reopening of long-term care centers, cram schools, and kindergartens. In this regard, the Ministry of Labor (MOL, 勞動部) stated that there are still some units that have not met the required standards, or that they cannot be fully opened due to crowd and social distancing reasons, etc., and some people are worried about the epidemic. Therefore, from now until August 9th, parents can still apply for " Epidemic Prevention and Care Leave" (防疫照顧假).

When employees request for "epidemic prevention and care leave", the employers should grant the leave and should not consider them absent. Photo/provided by the Ministry of Labor

Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛), Director of Labor Conditions and Employment Equality of the Ministry of Labor (勞動部勞動條件及就業平等司), said that whether the epidemic prevention care leave can still be taken during the Covid-19 level 2 alert is recently a common question received by the MOL. Community-based long-term care institutions, public and private kindergartens, children’s after-school care centers, and other units have been reopened but under certain conditions and have not yet fully returned to normal. Parents who have doubts can still request for epidemic prevention and care leave.

Many parents are concerned whether they can take the epidemic prevention and care leave during the level 2 alert. Photo/Retrieved from "CommonWealth Magazine"

Epidemic prevention and care leave may be requested if the parents need to personally take care of "children under 13 years old" or "children with a certificate of physical or mental disability in junior high schools, senior high secondary schools, and grades 1, 2 and 3 of 5-year Technical Colleges". With these conditions, one of the parents may ask for epidemic prevention and care leave. Parents include: parents, adoptive parents, guardians or other people who actually take care of the children (for example: grandfather, grandmother, etc.).

Also, according to the regulations, one of the employed parents may apply for "Epidemic Prevention and Care Leave" and the employer should grant the leave, and it should not be regarded as absenteeism, and not to be considered as personal leave or other leave, and no bonus deductions, dismissal or unfavorable sanctions. Employers cannot ask the employee to use family care leave or other leave before they can take epidemic prevention and care leave.