SINGAPORE - The working from home arrangement will continue in order to guard against potential Covid-19 transmission.

Employers should continue to keep this as the default arrangement unless employees have a demonstrable need to return to the workplace, such as to use specialised equipment, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong in a virtual multi-ministry press conference on Thursday (Aug 6).

He noted that working from home has been beneficial on numerous fronts, such as by reducing congestion on public transport and in minimising the number of people coming together in the workplace.

This, he said, has helped to keep community transmission at bay.

The task force is still reviewing the work-from-home arrangement and may modify the rules, with feedback from employers who have requested for more flexibility, said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic.

He added that some individuals have said that the arrangement has increased their productivity while others explained that the home environment is not sufficiently conducive for work.

"We'd still like to see as far as possible a high degree of people working from home," Mr Wong said.