The government has announced a package of measures to protect jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to COVID-19. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published guidance for employees, which is broken down into the following sections:
- Staying at home - If you have symptoms of coronavirus infection, however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when your symptoms started. If you live with others and you’re the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
- Sick pay - You can get £95.85 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.
- Furloughed workers - If you and your employer both agree, your employer might be able to keep you on the payroll if they’re unable to operate or have no work for you to do because of coronavirus. This is known as being ‘on furlough’.
- Claiming benefits - Whether you’re currently in or out of work, if you’re on a low income and affected by the economic impacts of coronavirus, you will be able to access the full range of the welfare system, including Universal Credit.
The guidance for employees is available here.