Extension of the national state of emergency and further measures to contain the epidemic
- Studio Piceci
- December 30, 2021
- Reading time: 3 min
More than a week after its approval, Decree Law No. 221/2021 was published in Gazzetta No. 305 of December 24, 2021, whereby the Government extended the state of national emergency. The same decree adopted additional measures to contain the spread of the epidemic.
The Decree came into force on December 25.
Below is a brief summary of some of the measures of greatest interest to employers, as amended by the Decree in question.
For a detailed overview of the measure, please refer to the following link.
AGILE WORKING
Decree Law No. 221/21 extends until March 31, 2022, the possibility of using the simplified procedure for sending agile work communications and, for private employers, of using this method for all employment relationships, even in the absence of individual agreements.
At the same time, protections for so-called vulnerable workers are extended until February 28, 2022 (see Article 26, paragraph 2bis, Decree Law 18/2020).
N.B.: Decree Law 221/21 establishes that, within 30 days of its publication, by Decree of the Minister of Health, in agreement with the Ministers of Labor and Social Policies and for Public Administration, "chronic diseases with poor clinical compensation and with particular connotations of severity are identified, in the presence of which, until February 28, 2022, work shall normally be carried out, in accordance with the rules laid down in collective agreements, where applicable, in a flexible manner, including through the assignment of different tasks within the same category or area of employment, as defined by the agreements in force, and specific professional training activities shall be carried out remotely.".
Furthermore, the obligation of health surveillance remains in place for workers most at risk of infection, for whom the competent doctor (or INAIL through its doctors) can ascertain unsuitability for the job.
PARENTAL LEAVE - known as SARS COV-2 PARENTAL LEAVE