I Followed MOH But Still Lost Money. My Employer Insisted on MC for Covid-19

The government said that employers cannot insist for workers to get MC if they get Covid-19. What they said is rubbish.

A man lost out on rental rebates because his employer insisted to see his MC. He did not have one as he followed MOH’s instructions to self-isolate instead of getting a MC. Frustrated, he reported it to government agencies but they did not help him. Here is his story.

On 6 Feb 2022, I tested positive. I called MOH and they strongly advised me to self-isolate at home for mild or no symptom. I followed and isolated myself as I was also afraid to spread the virus to my children. 

After 72 hours, I was still positive. According to MOH, I could exit self-isolation on the 7th day. However, I waited until the 8th day to perform another test and the result was negative.

I called Grab Rental hoping to send them all my test results for rental rebate but was told that I need to provide MC. Despite my explanation that I was following MOH’s directive, they insisted to see my MC and refused to give me rental rebate.

I was confused. I called MOH for assistance and was told that I was doing the right thing by following their directive. However, they could not help to provide any record to prove that I was infected. They advised me to contact MOM. 

I left a message with MOM but did not get a response. I also called my RC at Whampoa MPS who wrote to Grab Rental on 22 Feb but until now I have yet to hear from them.

All I did was follow MOH’s guidelines. I did my part by not adding strain to the healthcare system. Why do I end up being shortchanged? Why is the government not stepping in to help and why are MPs talking about unimportant things in parliament instead of raising important issues like this? Is this what I get for being a law-abiding citizen?

Contributed by Leon (pseudonym)