For almost 2 years, we have become accustomed to living and working with Coronavirus related restrictions, but 24th February 2022 sees the removal of all remaining legal COVID regulations in England as part of the Government’s “Living with COVID plan”. In summary this means:
From 24th February
- People with COVID are not legally required to self-isolate, but it is recommended that those who test positive stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least five full days
- Self-isolation support payments of £500 for those on low incomes have stopped
- Routine contact tracing has ended – people in contact with someone with COVID are no longer be advised to self-isolate or take daily tests
- Workers are not required to tell their employer if they need to self-isolate
- Face coverings are not mandatory on Transport for London’s tubes, trains or buses, but they are still “strongly encouraged”
From 24th March
- Employees with COVID will no longer be eligible for SSP from day one of their illness
From 1st April
- People with Covid symptoms will be asked to exercise personal responsibility when deciding whether to stay at home – until then they are still advised to do so
- PCR and lateral flow Covid tests will no longer be free for most people
- COVID passports will no longer be recommended, except for international travel
- Employers will no longer have to consider COVID as a separate risk when working out how to keep employees safe
As always, Pennine HR strives to bring you the most up to date information and advice. Please contact us for further guidance on right to work checks and people management in general.
