The government strategy for Covid-19 has officially changed to that of ‘living with Covid’. This means that people with Covid-19 symptoms will be encouraged to exercise personal responsibility after all legal restrictions in England are lifted on Thursday 24 February.
Individuals will no longer be legally required to self-isolate following a positive test, and the Government will stop self-isolation support payments. Covid provisions for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be in place until 24 March 2022. As such, you and your clients have until then to make any last claims for the SSP rebate, and after that SSP should not be paid for self-isolation, covid-related absences where the individual is not actually too unwell to work, or from day one. This is essentially a return to pre-covid SSP rules.
Whilst the legal requirement will go, those testing positive will continue to be advised to stay at home for at least 5 days, and only stop once they have had two negative LFT, until 1 April 2022. Routine contact tracing will also finish on 24 February 2022, as will the legal requirement to tell your employer if you test positive. Those who have been in contact with a positive case will not have to isolate, nor will they have to take daily tests if they are fully vaccinated or under 18. Your clients therefore will have to manage this carefully, as there may be staff members unknowingly (to them and / or your clients) spreading the virus, and, after 24 March, unwilling to isolate if they will no longer receive payment for doing. It is advisable therefore to tell your clients to get policies in place now for how they will manage this, and what they will pay.
Another thing that your clients will need to consider is that free testing for the general population will end on 1 April 2022. As such, those wanting to test from that date will have to pay for any tests they take. Employees may therefore be unwilling to do this, as not only will it cost to take the test, but, depending on what decisions your clients make on how to treat those who have tested positive, they may also lose out on pay and the opportunity to work if that test is positive.
From 1 April 2022, the government will update guidance setting out how people with COVID-19 should minimise contact with others, and replace the existing set of ‘Working Safely’ guidance. They will also consolidate guidance to the public and businesses, in line with public health advice, and remove the requirement for every employer to explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments. These updates are likely to contain information relevant to your clients and so the situation will need to be monitored closely.
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