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'What more does he want?' McDonald's staff tests positive for Covid-19 but says boss 'die die' wants her to work

'What more does he want?' McDonald's staff tests positive for Covid-19 but says boss 'die die' wants her to work
PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/Sleepyhead.001

After testing positive for Covid-19, all she wanted was to recover at home in peace.

So when her boss "die die" wanted her to report for work, one McDonald's staff member couldn't help but express her annoyance, taking her grievances to social media.

In an interview with AsiaOne on Thursday (Nov 24), TikTok user Sleepyhead.001, who gave her name as Lim Jia Hui, shared how she'd tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov 1.

She was issued a medical certificate for the period from Nov 2 to 4.

But the 17-year-old full-time employee allegedly received a message from her manager on Nov 4, informing her to report for work at the Causeway Point outlet that evening from 6pm to 2am.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@sleepyhead.001/video/7169010935586229505?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1[/embed]

After telling him that she was still Covid-19 positive, the manager replied but later deleted the message before Lim could see it. 

In another message that was sent to her the next day, the manager asked why she was excused for the day.

When she replied that she was still Covid-positive but confirmed that her medical leave had ended, Lim said that she was shot back with an "uncaring" 'Then?'

As she was still suffering from a bad cough and runny nose at that time, Lim told AsiaOne: "I was annoyed because I followed the rules, but my manager kept on texting me to come to work.

"So I told him, 'if I spread it to you, it's not my problem?' 'If anything happens to me, it's on you.'"

'What more does he want?'

A "nicer" manager later told her to visit the doctor again and told her to take care, Jia Hui shared, adding that she returned to work on Nov 11.

While she has fully recovered from the virus, Jia Hui said that she is still angry about how her manager had treated her.

The teenager told AsiaOne: "When I came back, my colleague said that the manager still didn't believe that I had Covid-19.

"I gave him proof and everything, what more does he want?"

McDonald's declined to comment on this incident when contacted by AsiaOne.

According to an advisory by the Ministry of Health last month, employees are not required to produce an MC if they have either self-tested positive for Covid-19 or have Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) symptoms.

This is to avoid having patients with mild or no symptoms make unnecessary visits to clinics, the ministry said.

Those who tested positive for Covid-19 must also self-isolate for at least 72 hours and work from home even if they are physically well, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

If the job does not allow them to work from home, employers should treat the period of absence as paid sick leave, the ministry said in an advisory.

"You should exercise compassion and flexibility in supporting the needs of your employees," MOM added.

ALSO READ: Employers should not request MC from Covid-19 positive workers: Tan See Leng

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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