August 2020 Monthly Blog – What to do if an employee is suffering COVID-19?
It goes without saying that your company should by now have completed a COVID-19 risk assessment for returning to work – although the best protection for employees is to continue to work from home wherever possible. Government guidelines also recommend that some businesses appoint a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) who should lead on contacting local Public Health teams where necessary.
If an employee, contractor or self-employed person reports COVID-19 symptoms:
- Send them home for 14 days, avoiding public transport if possible.
- Recommend they apply for a test
- Prepare a list of people that they may have met face-to-face at one metre or less, or spent 15 minutes or more within two metres of. The NHS Test & Trace Service may request this information.
If the test result comes back positive:
- Whilst respecting the employee’s privacy, warn staff who may have come in contact.
- Arrange a specialist clean of surfaces that may have been touched by the employee.
- Other employees do not need to isolate, unless advised by NHS test & trace service.
- Multiple cases of the illness in a workplace may require that persons who are deemed to have had significant contact with an affected person should self-isolate for 14 days.
Contact us
Our comprehensive COVID-19 web page contains a much more detailed section: What should an employer in England do if an employee may have COVID-19? and a helpful .
If you have any questions regarding COVID-19 that you feel we may able to help with please do not hesitate in making contact, please call our office 0207 947 9581, or type an enquiry to: https://www.arinite.com/contact-us/.
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