The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following:
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- a new continuous cough
- a high temperature
- a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
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For most people, COVID-19 will be a mild illness. However, if an individual has any of the above symptoms, as an employer you must advise them to stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if they have COVID-19. The website to arrange a test can be found here “Testing“.
If an employee has symptoms or has tested positive
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- If an employee has symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus, they MUST self-isolate (stay at home) for at least 10 days.
- Anyone else in their household must self-isolate for 14 days.
- If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms or tests positive, they MUST self-isolate for at least 10 days. This is regardless of where they are in the 14-day isolation period.
- You should advise the employee to access the following information for guidance from the Government: Stay at Home Guidance – UK Government
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If an employee is told to self-isolate by a test and trace service
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- If a government ‘test and trace’ service tells someone they have been in close recent contact with someone who has tested positive, they MUST self-isolate for 14 days.
- If they develop symptoms, regardless of where they are in the 14 day process they must self isolate for at least 10 more days. Everyone else in their household MUST self-isolate for 14 days.
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The employee needs to follow the normal rules to communicate absence
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- Employees in self-isolation need to follow their workplace’s usual sickness reporting process.
- Employees can ‘self-certify’ for the first 7 days off work. This means following their workplace process but not having to get a note from a doctor or NHS 111.
- Those self-isolating due to coronavirus for more than 7 days can get an online self-isolation note from the NHS website or NHS mobile phone app (for those registered with a GP in England).
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*Employers may need to be flexible if asking for self-isolation notes. For example, an employee with severe symptoms might not be able to get a note straight away.
Other employees remaining at work
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- Review and re-communicate the H&S measures that you have already implemented.
- Consider if the employee has been in regular contact with any vulnerable employees, especially those that may just have returned from shielding.
- Re-enforce the social distancing rules: In England, everyone should stay 2 metres apart where possible. If it’s not possible, people should be at least 1 metre apart and the employer should make extra changes to keep people safe. This might include things like wearing face coverings, working side by side instead of face to face, or using screens or barriers to separate people. In Scotland and Wales, everyone should stay 2 metres (6 feet) apart (‘social distancing’ or ‘physical distancing’).
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Has your employee been outside of the UK / Self isolating after returning to the UK
Some people returning to the UK must self-isolate (or ‘quarantine’) for 14 days, depending on the country they have travelled from.
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- Employees or workers are not entitled to SSP if they’re self-isolating after returning from holiday or business travel and they cannot work from home.
- They may be entitled to SSP for another reason, for example if they have coronavirus symptoms.
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England, see international travel and self-isolation advice on GOV.UK
If you require any further information regarding this issue, please contact us on 01942 727200 or email at eml@employeemanagement.co.uk.