On Wednesday, May 13, CANSEE and Kinstellar, organized a very successful webinar: “Living with COVID-19 – Are you really ready to get back to work?” regarding the Draft decision on preventive measures for a safe and healthy workplace in order to prevent the further spreading of the COVID-19 virus that will be soon adopted.
The webinar was a very significant opportunity for CANSEE members, partners, and friends to learn firsthand what new rules we will have to respect and about future operations of businesses. The online seminar was held in order to discuss the draft decision right after that the state of National Emergency ended. Special guest was Her Excellency Ms. Kati Csaba, Ambassador of Canada to Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro which brought us closer to the measures that were valid in Canada.
Ms. Csaba also responded to many interesting questions about “back to work” rules in Serbia, how they compare to similar rules in Canada and what will the employers need to do in order to create a safe working space for their employees.
The host, Ms. Mirjana Dončić-Beaton, Managing Director CANSEE, also introduced us to Ms. Dragana Bajic, Managing Associate and employment law specialist at Kinstellar.
The dialogue was in the first place informative and professional in order to help all employers lead their team into a post-pandemic world. As this crisis will last more than a few short weeks, companies are now defining their approach for the long haul. The main issues were: Will surgical masks and gloves be an obligation or merely a recommendation, can the employer insist that all employees come back to work measuring the body temperature of employees or visitors and do air conditioners and open windows spread coronavirus?
Also, webinar participants commented on one of the recommended conditions under which air traffic will recommence: the passenger must present a medical certificate no older than 72 hours from a certified medical institution from the arriving country or they will be tested for the presence of the virus at the border in order to enter in Serbia and undertake business trips. Otherwise, the passenger must be in quarantine for 14 days upon entering Serbia if a test is not taken or a medical certificate is not provided.