SINGAPORE - Employers and those who are self-employed should not apply for the $100 leave of absence (LOA) support if they or affected workers can work through telecommuting arrangements, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday (Feb 12).

Under the LOA support programme for those affected by the leave requirements due to the coronavirus, employers can apply for $100 daily per affected worker for the duration of paid absence period granted to workers.

Applications should only be submitted after the affected person has completed serving his or her LOA, MOM said, as it gave details on how people could apply for the $100 allowance.

The programme is applicable for Singapore citizens, permanent residents (PRs), and work pass holders who travelled to mainland China on or before Jan 31, 2020, and who were placed on LOA when they returned to Singapore on or after end-January.

Eligible employers will also qualify for levy waiver for affected foreign workers for the LOA period, the ministry said.

Self-employed Singapore citizens and PRs who travelled to mainland China on or before Jan 31 and placed themselves on LOA upon return to Singapore after end-January can also apply for the daily $100 support.

The programme is not applicable to those who travelled to China after Jan 31, MOM said, as it is intended to help those "who were affected by the sudden tightening of travel conditions" announced the same day.

The criteria to qualify for the $100 daily support include employers obtaining approval from MOM for work pass holders to enter Singapore from Feb 9.

Employers who wish to apply for the $100 programme must also have granted additional paid leave to the affected worker for the entire duration of the LOA, without requiring the worker to use his or her original paid leave or hospitalisation leave entitlement.

Applications for the programme must be submitted within 90 days from the last day of the LOA.

More details on applying for the $100 LOA support can be found on MOM's website.