COVID-19: Breaking News Update
Published on March 11th, 2020 | by Sophie West
We do not want to cause undue panic, but we need to ensure that you are at the forefront of the latest Coronavirus situation.
We need to ensure that you, as our clients, are up to date with the latest information regarding the Coronavirus, and how this will affect you as an employer.
The UK Government’s Chief Medical Advisor advised yesterday that even people with ‘minor signs’ of respiratory tract infections will be told to self-isolate. This change could happen in the next 10 to 14 days. This will have a significant impact on those reliable staff who would normally come into work, armed with paracetamol and ‘cracking on’ with their duties.
For all the latest breaking news on COVID-19 visit the government website here. Latest updates.
You will have seen that Boris Johnson has announced Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) should apply from day 1 (as opposed to day 4), for those who are self-isolating. However, the details of that remain unknown. SSP can no longer be reclaimed from the government. At present, we don’t know what (if any) reimbursements will be made to companies to alleviate the financial strains by enforcing day 1 rights to SSP. Our recommendations to you is to look at your forecasting and to plan. Look at your budgets and see how this could potentially work in practice.
For the latest news on the budget, visit the BBC website here. Latest updates.
As part of this, look at your home working options. Of course, this will be difficult for more manual workers. Consider short term lay off or short term working, dependant on your contracts and policies.
The interim guidance for business and employers is in relation to health and safety:
- Perform routine environmental cleaning, for example frequently touched work surfaces such as computers, desks and door handles
- Emphasise the importance of hand hygiene and the etiquette for coughs and sneezes
- Access visitors coming onto your site/business premises, have they visited any of the countries that are causing concern for COVID-19 or been in contact with anyone suffering from the illness?
- Refer to your Business Continuity Plan – In particular what you do in the event of an outbreak in the workplace and how do you continue working
Get support for your business, call us on 01527 571611 if you have any concerns.
