Qatar to pay workers in quarantine full salaries

In a news conference on Tuesday, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) said it was mandatory for employers and companies to provide full salaries to migrant workers.

MADLSA is working 24 hours through department concerned for wage protection system to monitor the companies on a daily basis, checking the transactions, sending messages directly to the companies who are found delaying the payments.

"The companies are responding fully because they know that the workers were put in quarantine as a precautionary measure to protect all of us," Muhammed Hassan al-Obaidly, assistant under-secretary for labour affairs at MADLSA, said.

He added that a hotline service (92727) was launched to receive workers' grievances.

The ministry will set aside three billion riyals ($824m) to support companies in paying their employees. Those who are unable to return home after having their jobs terminated will "remain in Qatar with proper lodging and food”, he added.