Manpower Minister Tan See Leng appealed to employers to not request medical certificates from workers who test positive for Covid-19 (No need to ask employees with Covid-19 for medical certificate: Tan See Leng, Feb 23).

I appreciate that this is so as not to overload the already strained healthcare system. But how is this to work?

Is it sufficient for the employee to call up and declare that he has Covid-19? Should he send a photo of the positive antigen rapid test immediately or when he returns to work? Will an employer readily accept this? It is not easy to have such complete faith.

But there is another issue: the crippling effect on an employer's operations if he allows such uncertified absenteeism.

It is through a rigorous system of granting approval for those who are genuinely sick to take leave that an employer can sustain his operations.

J.A. Bragassam