Cyprus Mail 7 May 2020 - by Evie Andreou
Most civil servants have now returned to their workplaces, an official said on Wednesday.
The exceptions are those belonging to vulnerable groups and parents who need to stay at home to look after their children.
Civil servants had been asked to return to work on Monday, the first day of relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.
Permanent secretary of the finance ministry, Giorgos Pantelis, told state broadcaster CyBC that public servants who belong in vulnerable groups can get a get sick leave and stay at home if they present a medical certificate or can work from home if possible.
Those who need to stay at home to look after their children can either work from home if possible or need to get special permission. If they opt for the second choice, he said, they will fall under the scheme announced by the labour ministry for the special child allowance already given to private sector workers based on their salary.
Under that scheme, a person with a salary of over €2,000, will receive for the first €1,000 a 60 per cent special leave allowance, while for the next €1,000 a 40 per cent allowance will be paid. The maximum amount of allowance for a period of one month is up to € 1,000.
For single-parent families the ratio is 70 per cent and 50 per cent respectively and the maximum allowance amount for a period of one month is up to €1,200.
