The Bengal education department has decided to grant quarantine leave to teaching and non-teaching staff of schools, colleges and universities.
Orders issued by the respective sections of the school and higher education department say quarantine leave is a leave of absence from duty necessitated by order not to attend office “in consequence of the presence of infectious disease in the family or household of such employees” at his or her place of duty, residence or sojourn.
“Whereas….his or her attendance at his or her office is considered as hazardous to the health of other co-employees, such teacher, non-teaching staff and any other employees of the state aided universities may be granted quarantined leave,” says the order signed by a deputy secretary of the higher education department.
An order has been signed by a joint secretary of the school education department to grant the leave on identical grounds.
An official of the education department said such leave would be granted on the basis of a certificate of a public or municipal health officer or registered medical practitioner for a period not exceeding 21 days or in exceptional circumstances for a period not exceeding 30 days.
The leave was granted two days after the state government decided to shut campuses following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
“Quarantine leave, which is not debited to a leave account, may be combined with any other kind of leave except casual leave,” the order says.
Another official said, a teaching or non-teaching staff on quarantine leave will be treated as absent from duty with full pay and allowance, following permission from the head of the institution.
The official added following the valued opinion of the health department five diseases have been included in the list of infectious diseases under leave rule.
The five diseases are –SARS, MARS, COVID-19, Avian Influenza (H5N1)/ Novel Influenza and Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).
