The Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government has issued a circular today to ensure the continuation of the public service without any interruption, due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

The circular states that having taken into consideration the set of instructions issued by Health Sectors to prevent the spread of COVID 19 pandemic, the provisions of the Public Administration Circular 02/2021 dated 05.03.2021 are hereby temporarily suspended until further notice. 

The circular issued by the Secretary Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government to all Secretaries to Ministries, Secretaries to State Ministries, Chief Secretaries of Provinces, Heads of Departments, District Secretaries/ Government Agents, Divisional Secretaries, Chairmen of State Corporations and Statutory Boards states the following: 
 
02. Officers serving in all public institutions may be allowed to abstain from reporting for duties for 02 working days per week up to maximum of 08 days per calendar month without deducting such days from their leave from 27.04.2021. 

03. Therefore the Heads of Institutions can make an arrangement, which is more appropriate to the particular institution, for allowing each officer to abstain from reporting for duties within a calendar month without obtaining leave entitled to such officer, so as not to exceed the maximum of 08 days. 

04. If it is required to call officers for duty for more than 03 days per week in order to maintain the service delivery, which is essential to ensure daily life of the people, without interruption, the respective Head of Institution can take a decision for calling officers for duty accordingly. 

05. When such duty roaster is prepared, action should be taken to deduct the date, on which the officer does not report for duty, from his/ her personal leave, only if the date of absence falls within the duty roaster. 

06. However every officer should be prepared to perform the tasks relevant to his/her duties online even on the days, on which the officer is not called for duty under duty roaster. 

07. Action should be taken under general procedure regarding leave of the officers, who are not included in the duty roaster depending on medical grounds or other reasons. 

08. Since the objective of introducing a system of duty roaster is to keep the social distance within service stations and minimizing the spread of the virus, the first priority should always be given to the aforesaid objective and then convenience and the agreement of officers should be taken into consideration.

09. In case where a certain public officer has been directed for quarantine process due to the prevailing situation and further such direction has been made not as a punishment for violation of the rules of the quarantine imposed by the Government, the period of quarantine should be considered as a period of leave with full pay as per the provisions of sub section 12:9, chapter XII of the Establishments Code. 

10. The Heads of Institutions should pay attention personally for engaging the officers in their institutions in duty adhering to the health instructions, which have already been issued and purported to be issued in due course by the Government for preventing the spread of COVID 19.