Guidelines for Employers Employing Migrant Workers in Response to Severe Special Infectious Pneumonia: Points to Note on the Management of Migrant Workers’ Work, Life and Going Out

• preface
  In view of the outbreak of cluster infections in migrant dormitories in China, the epidemic is heating up and the risk of community transmission is increasing, considering the residential characteristics of migrant workers in China and the phenomenon of clusters on holidays, in order to avoid recurrence In the event of a cluster infection of migrant workers, we will cooperate with the issued “Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention of Novel Coronavirus Infection” and “Social” under the principle of national treatment of migrant workers and compliance with relevant labor laws and regulations Precautions for Distance”, “Guidelines for Enterprises to Continue to Operate in Response to the Severe Special Infectious Pneumonia (COVID-19) Epidemic”, “Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention of People’s Holiday Life during the COVID-19 (Wuhan Pneumonia) Epidemic” and COVID-19 (Wuhan Pneumonia)” to prevent infection in the community, strengthen epidemic prevention measures for migrant workers, and take into account the implementation of employers’ daily care obligations and management responsibilities to ensure the safety of epidemic prevention in the community The primary objective is to provide this guide for employers, private employment service providers and migrant workers to follow.
• Work and life management measures
  Employers should strengthen epidemic prevention management in the workplaces and accommodation places of migrant workers, implement relevant management measures, and provide publicity to migrant workers to avoid the risk of cluster infection, which may affect the safety and health of migrant workers and Chinese people, or cause work disruption due to confirmed cases. The shutdown of the site may lead to the inability to operate. If necessary, the employer may entrust a private employment service agency to handle the matter. The measures and suggestions that should be taken are as follows:
  • Measures that employers should take: According to the provisions of Article 19 of the Employer’s Licensing and Management Measures for Employers’ Employment of Foreigners (hereinafter referred to as the Employment Measures), employers should plan accommodation and other matters for migrant workers and implement them effectively. If the employer fails to fulfill its responsibilities as an employer, , arranging the following accommodation and epidemic prevention measures, etc., has violated the provisions of Article 57, Paragraph 9, of the Employment Service Law and Article 19 of the Employment Regulations, and will be subsequently punished by the local competent authority:
    1. To implement the principle of diversion and subdivision, local competent authorities may order employers to improve within a time limit:
       • Migrant workers staying in the same room should be arranged in the same work area, production line or work station at the same workplace to avoid mixing with migrant workers staying in other rooms.
       • Traffic routes to and from get off work and offices should be segregated. Migrant workers’ access to different work areas should be controlled by diversion (for example, using different entrances and exits, and diversion control of different elevators stopping at different floors), and migrant workers are prohibited from moving between different work areas and floors.
    2. To avoid contact between migrant workers hired by different employers, local competent authorities may order employers to improve within a time limit: Private employment service agencies accept the employer’s appointment to manage the life of migrant workers and are prohibited from arranging migrant workers hired by different employers, or migrant workers hired by the same employer but in different jobs. Migrant workers are accommodated on the same floor.
    3. Clearly define work rules and dormitory management rules to strengthen the work and life management of migrant workers, and at least the following contents must be included:
       • Public areas of accommodation (such as bathrooms or clothes washing spaces) should be used in staggered time periods according to the accommodation floors or areas of the migrant workers.
       • Migrant workers are prohibited from moving to other floors or areas other than the floor where the public area is located, and migrant workers staying on different floors or areas are not allowed to use the facilities and equipment in the public area at the same time or have meals together.
       • If there is a dining area in the workplace or accommodation, the temperature of migrant workers should be taken before entering and the number of people dining at the same time should be limited. The distance between tables should be kept at least 1.5 meters or there should be screens. There should be partitions on the tables. For example, if it is a buffet-type restaurant, the food should be properly covered and served by dedicated personnel, or meals should be served in lunch boxes.
       • Employers should regularly disinfect and clean the workplace and accommodation, and provide soap, water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
       • If employers set up transportation measures such as buses and commuter buses, they should measure the body temperature of migrant workers before getting on the bus and require them to wear masks. There should also be a regular cleaning process in the bus (at least once every 6 hours). Disinfect the surfaces of objects and provide space separation for passengers while maintaining social distance among passengers.
       • Employers should have a control mechanism for the entry and exit of migrant workers’ workplaces and accommodations, and should record information about travel history, contact history, and whether they gather in groups, including their footprints during holidays, places where they stayed for more than 15 minutes, and the means of transportation they took. Contact objects, etc.
    4. Strengthen epidemic prevention publicity:
       • Employers should strengthen the health education and epidemic prevention concepts of migrant workers through multiple channels (such as posting posters, sending text messages, setting up groups on instant messaging software such as Line, or playing videos at migrant workers’ accommodation places, etc.) or formulating work rules, and remind migrant workers of their health education and epidemic prevention concepts. If workers feel unwell, they should immediately report to their employer or private employment service agency, or call the 1922 epidemic reporting and consultation hotline of the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the 1955 hotline of the Ministry of Labor (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) for assistance.
       • Regulations should be posted at the entrances and exits of each accommodation place, or broadcasts should be used to promote migrant workers to maintain hygiene, and epidemic prevention information should be continuously updated.
    5. Understand the health status of migrant workers and arrange medical treatment: Employers should measure and record the health status of migrant workers every day and keep a register. If the migrant workers have suspected symptoms of severe special infectious pneumonia, including fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, and cough , muscle soreness, fatigue/tiredness, diarrhea, abnormal sense of smell and taste and other physical discomforts, they should be arranged to seek medical treatment and undergo screening. Details of the employer or private employment service agency’s assistance in the medical treatment process are provided in Appendix 1.
    6. Prepare in advance a room for one person and one room with an independent bathroom (hereinafter referred to as a room for one person and one room): If a cluster of infections occurs in the workplace or accommodation place for migrant workers, the migrant workers (index cases) should be screened and According to the notice from the health unit, they are admitted to a centralized quarantine center or hospital; depending on whether the index case is confirmed or not, the employer will arrange a room for one person and one room for the people who live with them. The employer should prepare in advance a room for one person and one room that is the same as the number of people who should be quarantined. They have self-owned dormitories and rented houses.
    7. Arrange for vaccination of front-line staff in epidemic prevention dormitories for migrant workers: Due to the increased threat of new mutant strains, in order to actively prevent the risk of community transmission, starting from January 1, 2020, if migrant workers work in private employment service agencies either by themselves or appointed by their employers, For those who are placed under home quarantine in an epidemic prevention dormitory, all front-line staff in the dormitory should receive 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for 14 days (the second dose of the vaccine should be received no later than December 17, 2020) or the staff should Provide a negative PCR test certificate within 3 days at your own expense.However, staff who have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hold a quarantine release notice issued by the health authority within 3 months are temporarily exempted from the COVID-19 vaccination certificate, but they must wait for 3 months after being released from quarantine. Months later, the COVID-19 vaccine should be fully vaccinated as soon as possible; staff who have been evaluated by a doctor and issued a certificate stating that COVID-19 vaccination is not recommended or who are unable to vaccinate due to personal factors must undergo rapid screening at their own expense or a negative PCR test once a week . New staff should provide a negative PCR test certificate within 3 days at their own expense before the first 6 services.
    8. Employers who continue to hire migrant workers (including transfers upon expiration of the term) will be exempted from the PCR test if the migrant workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. For migrant workers who have not been fully vaccinated, the employer should arrange for the migrant workers to undergo PCR tests: To ensure that the migrant workers To ensure the safety of workers and employers in preventing the epidemic, migrant workers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempted from the PCR test. For migrant workers who have not been fully vaccinated, the employer should notify the employer within 3 days before (inclusive) the date of re-employment (including expiration of the change). , arrange for migrant workers to go to designated medical institutions for PCR testing.If medical institutions in the region do not provide PCR testing during the previous opening period or there are special circumstances in which the reserved registration quota is full and there is no testing capacity, an exception may be made to postpone the appointment to 3 days (inclusive) after the date of renewal of employment (including expiry of the change). Within days, arrange for PCR testing of migrant workers, and the testing costs should be paid by the new employer. In addition, the new employer should arrange for the migrant workers to live in a room with one person and one room while waiting for the PCR test results.
    9. Employers dispatch migrant workers in accordance with the “Criteria for Recognition of Change of Workplace for Foreigners Employed to Work under Article 46, Paragraph 1, Subparagraphs 8 to 10 of the Employment Service Act” (hereinafter referred to as the “dispatch criteria”) of this Part, If the migrant workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, they are exempted from the PCR test. For migrant workers who have not been fully vaccinated, the employer should arrange for the migrant workers to undergo a PCR test: According to the deployment standards, those who need to apply for a permit from this department are considered to have completed the PCR test. Those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are exempted from the PCR test. For migrant workers who have not been fully vaccinated, the employer should arrange for the migrant worker to go to a designated medical institution for a PCR test within 3 days (inclusive) before the application date, and attach a negative test result certificate , an application may be submitted; according to the deployment standard regulations, those who are exempted from applying for permission from this department and who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempted from the PCR test. For migrant workers who have not been fully vaccinated, the employer shall be exempted from the PCR test when the fact of deployment occurs. Within 3 days (inclusive) before the date, arrange for migrant workers to go to designated medical institutions for PCR testing, and submit a negative test result certificate to the local competent authority for review before they can be deployed. The cost of testing shall be paid by the employer.
    10. Employers in the above-mentioned industries deploy migrant workers in accordance with the deployment standards. If the migrant workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, there is no limit on the number of days of deployment. If the migrant workers have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, they must be deployed for more than 60 days at a time, and During this period, you will not return to your original work permit location.
    11. If the employer changes the workplace of migrant workers in accordance with Labor Development Administration Letter No. 1040512600 dated February 15, 2020, the migrant workers must have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or the employer shall assign the migrant workers to a location other than the permitted location starting from the date Within the first 3 days, arrange for migrant workers to go to a qualified medical institution for PCR testing, and the test result must be negative.
    12. Things that migrant workers should do if they are confirmed by screening or positive by rapid screening:
        • Assistance with isolation: Employers should notify health units and assist in isolation of close contacts.
        • Carry out decontamination: Workplaces and accommodation places where migrant workers who have been diagnosed or rapidly screened positive should be decontaminated. Staff performing decontamination must be properly trained and should wear personal protective equipment (gloves, masks, isolation gowns or waterproof aprons, Use goggles or face shield as needed).
        • Reducing the number of people staying in rooms with confirmed cases: If a migrant worker (index case) is positive through rapid screening, he or she will be sent to a centralized quarantine center or hospital immediately. Other migrant workers in the same room should be placed in the original room, and the follow-up nucleic acid test (PCR) results of the index case will be considered. Continued.If the index case is confirmed and other migrant workers in the same room are close contacts, the employer should arrange a room for one person and one room for isolation.
        • If migrant workers are arranged by their employer or private employment service agency to use COVID-19 home rapid screening reagents, the relevant handling and assistance measures of the employer or private employment service agency are as detailed in Appendix 2.
  • Recommended things for employers to do:
    1. Flexible commuting: The commuting times of migrant workers can be flexibly staggered to avoid concentrated commuting at the same time, or a remote or remote working mechanism can be established to reduce the number of people working at the same time.
    2. Adjustment of work space: It is recommended that migrant workers should maintain an appropriate distance between their workplaces or perform space partitioning, and non-essential public areas in the workplace should be closed and disabled; it is recommended that work-related meetings or activities, etc., be canceled or postponed and that video conferences be used instead. Meeting or other means.
    3. Blocking the chain of transmission: For migrant workers with suspected symptoms of severe special infectious pneumonia, it is recommended that they be quarantined in a room with one person per room before being screened, and their employer arranges for medical treatment. In addition, if the migrant workers who are not changing employers are negative in the rapid screening test, before waiting for the PCR test results, it is recommended to stay in a room with one person per room, and the migrant workers are required to wear a mask and pay attention to hand hygiene (wash hands with soap and water, or use alcohol).
    4. Strengthen the management of migrant workers’ lives:
       • Help migrant workers maintain social distance: Employers are recommended to make appropriate use of existing idle dormitory space and increase the living area per person to facilitate migrant workers to maintain social distance and reduce the risk of cluster infection.
       • Reduce the need for migrant workers to go out: It is recommended that employers provide leisure and entertainment equipment according to the needs of migrant workers, and coordinate with migrant workers in a timely manner the places of worship they often visit. They should not participate in gatherings, instead use video methods for gatherings or communication, and also help migrant workers buy food or daily life. supplies to reduce the migration of migrant workers.
       • Assist migrant workers to purchase masks and make vaccination appointments: Employers are recommended to try their best to assist migrant workers in pre-purchasing masks and making vaccination appointments online, and provide necessary equipment, such as computers, card readers, or purchasing guidelines translated by the department in multiple languages, and must not violate migrant workers Willing, force migrant workers to be vaccinated.
    5. Caring for migrant workers who have been diagnosed or tested positive: Employers are recommended to provide psychological care services to take care of the physical and mental health needs of confirmed migrant workers and quarantined migrant workers.
  • Considering that foreign domestic care workers and domestic helpers mostly live in the same household with the person being cared for or the person being cared for, the above-mentioned 2.1-1, 2 and 6 principles regarding subdivision and the appointment of private employment services are not yet applicable. Organizations are not allowed to arrange for migrant workers from different employers to live on the same floor and prepare a room for one person and one room in advance. In addition, for foreign family caregivers and domestic helpers who engage in care work at home, or accompany the care recipients to hospitals or long-term care service institutions, separate appendices are formulated for their care work in different settings and other related precautions. If there are any matters not covered, they will still be handled in accordance with these guidelines.
  • Cooperate with the government’s rapid containment strategy
    1. According to the “COVID-19 (Wuhan Pneumonia)” strategy to prevent community transmission, rapid containment is implemented within the communities where the virus is prevalent. Within the designated containment area, all persons in the designated containment area are subject to COVID-19, regardless of whether they have a history of contact or not. Virus screening, supplemented by public health intervention such as enlarging social distance and strengthening surveillance, and based on the principle of not moving out of the containment area arbitrarily.
    2. If a regional lockdown is implemented during the epidemic alert level 4 issued by the Central Epidemic Command Center, or the workplace or accommodation place of migrant workers is designated as a containment area by the health unit during the epidemic alert level 3 or above, please Employers cooperate in establishing control mechanisms and equipment to prevent migrant workers from leaving their workplaces or dormitories (except for medical needs). In addition, employers or private employment service agencies should assist with translation matters to facilitate health units in conducting screening operations.
• Things to note when living as a migrant worker
  1. Principles for migrant workers to take holidays abroad: Employers should agree to allow migrant workers to take holidays in accordance with labor laws or labor contracts, and may not prohibit them from taking holidays. However, they can coordinate with migrant workers to avoid collective holidays on the same day. If migrant workers must cooperate with the health authorities in implementing home isolation or home quarantine 11, they should be given epidemic prevention and isolation leave in accordance with the special regulations on the prevention and control of severe infectious pneumonia and relief and revitalization, and they should be restricted from going out or going to work. Regarding the principles of holidays for migrant workers, please refer to Appendix 3 for details.
  2. Strengthen epidemic prevention publicity for migrant workers: Employers should remind migrant workers to avoid entering or entering public places with crowds of people and poor air circulation when going out during holidays or non-working hours, and to maintain a social distance of 1 meter outdoors and 1.5 meters or more indoors. , and remind migrant workers to wear masks when going out to reduce the risk of infection, and encourage migrant workers to join the “Line@shiftpoint” established by the Workforce Development Agency of the Ministry of Labor to obtain the latest epidemic prevention information.
• Things that migrant workers who are positive and confirmed by rapid screening should pay attention to
  1. Migrant workers who test positive for the rapid test will be immediately quarantined at a centralized quarantine center or hospital, awaiting PCR test results, and please notify their employer and the appointed private employment service agency.
  2. Migrant workers who are diagnosed (positive by PCR test) will continue to be admitted to a centralized quarantine center or hospital, and will be treated according to the handling of confirmed cases of severe special infectious pneumonia and the conditions for lifting isolation and treatment.
  3. Please wear a mask and observe hand hygiene during isolation (wash hands with soap and water, or use alcohol).
  4. Be sure to observe changes in symptoms. If the following symptoms appear, please contact the medical or nursing staff at the centralized quarantine center or hospital immediately: fever, wheezing, difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain, chest tightness, confusion, blue skin or lips or nail beds.
  5. Please take the initiative to contact and notify close contacts (those who have eaten together, lived together, or been in face-to-face contact for more than 15 minutes without wearing masks from 3 days before the onset of symptoms to the day of isolation). Close contacts are asked to self-isolate before the epidemic is investigated. Health monitoring. If the close contacts are employees of the same company (domestic workers or other migrant workers), please take the initiative to contact the employer at the same time.
  6. According to the treatment of confirmed cases of severe special infectious pneumonia and the conditions for lifting isolation and treatment, if the migrant workers are asymptomatic or mild cases, more than 10 days have passed since the onset of illness, the fever has been reduced for at least 1 day and the symptoms have been relieved, they will be notified by the health unit Book, should continue to quarantine in a room per person for 7 days.
• Things that migrant workers who come into contact with confirmed cases should pay attention to
  1. If a migrant worker has dined together, lived together, or had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case for more than 15 minutes without wearing a mask from 3 days before the onset of symptoms to the day of isolation, the employer should arrange for the migrant worker to be quarantined in a room with one person per person, not to go out, and Wait for notification from public health personnel.
  2. Please wear a mask and observe hand hygiene during isolation (wash hands with soap and water, or use alcohol).
  3. Observe whether you have symptoms related to severe special infectious pneumonia, such as: fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, diarrhea, abnormal sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath, etc. If you have symptoms, please contact the local health authority immediately at 119, 13 or call 1922 epidemic notification and consultation hotline, and notify the employer or the appointed private employment service agency to arrange medical treatment and screening.
  4. If migrant workers are not close contacts, they only need to conduct self-health monitoring for 14 days. If they have suspected symptoms, please wear a mask and notify their employer and the appointed private employment service agency to arrange for medical treatment and inform them of possible contact history.
• Other matters
  1. For information on severe special infectious pneumonia, the latest announcements, protection propaganda, etc., please refer to the global information website of the Department of Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (https://www.cdc.gov.tw), or call toll-free 1922 Epidemic Report and Please call the consultation hotline (or 0800-001922).
  2. In addition, migrant workers can call the department’s 1955 hotline for assistance or join the “Line@shiftpoint” established by the Workforce Development Agency of the Ministry of Labor to obtain the latest epidemic prevention information.