A total of 3,245 employees in the nation’s financial sector were told to work from home for two weeks beginning yesterday as companies took precautionary measures against the spread of COVID-19.
The move came after health authorities urged people who visited one of 11 tourist spots over the Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend to self-quarantine for 14 days, work from home if possible, wear masks and practice social distancing to avoid possible further infection.
On Sunday, some financial firms asked employees who visited the 11 sites over the four-day weekend to work from home for the next 10 working days.
Fubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控) said 1,100 of its employees began working from home yesterday, Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) said 1,200 of its staff began teleworking, CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) said 500 of its employees were working remotely and China Development Financial Holding Corp (中華開發金控) said 330 of its employees were doing so, too.
Nan Shan Life Insurance Co (南山人壽) said that 115 of its employees who visited the tourist spots, or whose family members did so, began telecommuting from yesterday.
The 11 spots were those cited by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) in text messages it sent on Saturday, including Kenting (墾丁) and Hengchun Old Street (恆春老街) in Pingtung County; Dongdamen Night Market (東大門夜市) in Hualien County; Guanzihling (關子嶺) in Tainan; and the Alishan National Scenic Area.
Those working offsite would be paid normally, even those who worked in bank branches, the companies said.
“Employees at the bank branches would be required to stay at home and offer virtual assistance if needed,” CTBC Financial said in a release. “Almost all of the work can be done from home, so we are not worried that this will affect our operations.”
“For example, salespeople can introduce policies by telephone or via messaging apps,” Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) spokesman Lin Chao-ting (林昭廷) said by telephone.
China Development Financial said it would consider punishing employees who lied about whether they had been to the tourist spots, even dismissing them.
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