| The government has published Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy with the aim of guiding the UK out of lockdown on a staged basis. In relation to returning to work, the Plan states that, from Wednesday 13th May 2020: “For the foreseeable future, workers should continue to work from home rather than their normal physical workplace, wherever possible. “This will help minimise the number of social contacts across the country and therefore keep transmissions as low as possible. All those who work are contributing taxes that help pay for the healthcare provision on which the UK relies. “People who are able to work at home make it possible for people who have to attend work places in person to do so while minimising the risk of overcrowding on transport and in public places. “All workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open. Sectors of the economy that are allowed to be open should be open, for example this includes food production, construction, manufacturing, logistics, distribution and scientific research in laboratories. The only exceptions to this are those workplaces such as hospitality and non-essential retail which during this first step the Government is requiring to remain closed. “As soon as practicable, workplaces should follow the new “COVID-19 Secure” guidelines…which will be published this week… “It remains the case that anyone who has symptoms, however mild, or is in a household where someone has symptoms, should not leave their house to go to work. Those people should self-isolate, as should those in their households.” |
We’ll update you further once the guidelines are published later this week. In the meantime, please get in touch if you need employment law advice in relation to workplace issues arising from the effect of the Coronavirus.
