70% of private sector employees now required to work-from-home starting March 29 – MoHRE

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation decided to reduce the attendance of workers in the private sector establishments in the UAE to the minimum necessary for the conduct of work, so that the percentage of workers whose work requires being in the workplace does not exceed 30% Of the total number of employees in a single establishment in parallel with the application of the remote work system for workers whose job duties do not require presence in the workplace.
This measure begins Sunday – March 29 for a period of two weeks, and is subject to review and evaluation.
His Excellency Nasser bin Thani Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation issued the decision as part of the UAE’s preventive measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in coordination with the National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management (NECMA), as per a report from Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has mandated workers from the private sector to a skeletal workforce not exceeding 30% of the total number of employees, with the remaining 70% to do remote work (work-from-home), particularly for those whose presence isn’t required to be at the workplace.
MoHRE stressed the need to facilitate a further reduction on the number of employees who are physically required at service delivery centers by no more than 30%, and to apply preventive health measures – including social distancing, as well as frequent sterilization of all facilities regularly.
The mandate, however, exempts employees working for the following deemed as ‘vital sectors’:
Airports
Banking and finance
Communications
Construction projects
Education
Energy
FNB
Health
Military
Petrol stations
Pharmacy
Police
Postal service
Security
Supermarket
This is a developing story.