The largest public sector union and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association are calling on the province to trust its employees and not make them visit a doctor for a note when they miss work.

Jerry Earle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, said the practice of requiring doctor's notes is resulting in people visiting emergency rooms and medical clinics during cold and flu season, when there are concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

"We continue to hear about the precautions that need to be taken to limit the spread of infection [and] transmission of illnesses, yet employers in this province continue to require doctor's notes from their employees for sick days," Earle wrote in a press release Monday.

"We should have trust in workers to know what's best for them, their co-workers, and the public. When someone is sick, they should stay home."

There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador, but as of Feb. 22, there were 279 cases of influenza and three deaths.

Jerry Earle is the president of NAPE, the union representing many health-care workers. (Eddy Kennedy/CBC)

Provincial labour laws require an employee to provide a note if they miss work for three or more days consecutively.

Health Minister John Haggie said discussions are ongoing with the human resources secretariat about the need for short-term sick notes for government employees and, in turn, regional health-care employees.

It can be a pain for people who suffer from chronic illnesses and have to make trips to the doctor each time their condition flares up and they miss work.

It's a drain on doctors' time and health resources, argues the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.

"Forcing employees who would have otherwise stayed home into these facilities to get a sick note, puts vulnerable patients at risk of developing further complications," said the NLMA in a media release Monday afternoon.

"Sick notes are of administrative benefit only to the employer and do not contribute to the care and treatment of the employee, which is the purpose of the relationship between the physician and the patient."

Former NLMA president Dr. Lynn Dwyer said she writes three to five sick notes a day during peak cold and flu season.

Haggie said he would have little problem with alleviating the burden on physicians for short-term sick notes, but beyond that he said there is a requirement to meet with a physician for long-term leave, insurance policies and other.

"This is a rapidly evolving situation. We started talking about that internally, really only as recently as Friday afternoon," he said.

Notes 'essential' for absenteeism: Employers' Council

But Richard Alexander, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Employer's Council, says doing away with requiring a sick note is too heavy-handed.

"The employer's right to require a doctor's note is absolutely an essential tool for dealing with absenteeism in the workplace.… This recommendation that we just do away with this right in labour standards is an extreme recommendation," he told CBC News on Monday afternoon.

Alexander said employers do not want doctors' offices filling up with patients unnecessarily, and said many employers are flexible when it comes to requiring a sick note, but the policy should not be eliminated.

Richard Alexander, executive director of the N.L. Employers Council, says sick notes are 'absolutely an essential tool' for employers and shouldn't be done away with altogether. (CBC)

But Earle people could end up back to work prematurely and put their coworkers at risk.

"We need to provide them with some level of paid sick leave, so they have the financial ability to stay at home when they are ill," Earle said.

"We need to change and adapt with the times."

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