CSC advises gov't employees to hold virtual holiday celebrations amid Omicron threat

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) on Thursday advised government employees to hold virtual holiday festivities, instead of in-person celebrations.

CSC chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala reminded the employees that threats brought by the COVID-19 remain due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

While physical gatherings may be allowed subject to the current and applicable guidelines by the Inter?Agency Task Force (IATF) and local government units, Dela Rosa-Bala noted that virtual celebrations are much safer.

“Virtual celebrations, on the other hand, are much safer and allow agencies to hold a simultaneous gathering for all their employees across the regions. It just requires a little more creativity to make it engaging and enjoyable even without face-to-face interaction,” she said.

She underscored that physical gatherings may still pose a huge risk and may even affect public service delivery if employees get infected by COVID-19 at the same time.

The CSC chief also warned agencies to make sure that there will be no disruption in public services.

“Offices may opt to conduct these activities outside office hours or ensure adequate skeletal workforce to attend to their clients and other urgent matters during official business hours,” Dela Rosa-Bala added.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government earlier announced that in-person Christmas parties are allowed in areas under COVID-19 Alert Level 2 as long as health protocols and the 50% venue capacity limit are observed.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) advised employers to hold virtual parties this Christmas, saying that the pandemic is still here even as the country saw a decline in new COVID-19 cases.—AOL, GMA News