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- COVID-19 update: the government's Living with COVID-19 strategy
COVID-19 update: the government's Living with COVID-19 strategy
What is the government's Living with COVID-19 strategy, what has changed, and what does it mean for your business.
On 21 February the Prime Minister set out the government’s plan for living with COVID-19 in England.
Under the government’s plan, all remaining legal restrictions ended on 24 February, including the legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test. Free mass testing will end for most people from April 1.
The workplace guidance has been updated to reflect these changes. You can also find the latest information and guidance for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
So, what has already changed?
From 24 February:
Self-isolation
- The legal requirement to self-isolate ended. The advice for people who test positive is to continue to stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least 5 full days
- Routine contact tracing has ended. Contacts are no longer required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests
- Self-isolation payments of £500 for those on low incomes has ended
- Employees are no longer required to tell their employers if they are required to self-isolate.
International travel
- International arrivals are no longer legally required to self-isolate upon receipt of a positive day 2 PCR test or an unclear test result.
What will change in the coming weeks?
From 24 March:
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- Temporary changes to statutory sick pay and employment support allowance brought in at the start of the pandemic will end
- The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme for SMEs dealing with coronavirus-related absences will end.
From 1 April:
Testing
- Universal free lateral flow testing will end
- Free tests will be targeted to certain sections of the population, including the most vulnerable and those working in social care.
Workplace guidance
- The existing set of ‘Working Safely’ guidance will be replaced with new public health guidance
- The health and safety requirement for employers to explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments will be removed.
Certification
- The current guidance on voluntary COVID-status certification in domestic settings will be removed, as well as the recommendation for certain venues use the NHS COVID Pass.
What next?
The government will continue to monitor the overall impact of the virus on the NHS, society and the economy. The CBI will engage with government on the impact of these changes and the evolution of the ‘Working Safely’ guidance, using its Living with the variants document.
The government is also expected to set out a contingency approach and toolbox of measures for international travel in the event of a new variant.
The CBI will continue to gather insight from members on the impact of Covid-19 for business and reflect this in its conversations with the government. Businesses can send through anecdotes and questions to the CBI’s dedicated Coronavirus Mailbox.
You can read the CBI’s full response to the government’s living with COVID-19 strategy here.
What can businesses do?
Principles to reduce the risk for those working from, or returning, to the workplace include:
- Regular LFD testing
- Improving office ventilation
- Additional cleaning
- Mandating staff to use face coverings in close-contact settings.
More information on ‘COVID secure’ tools can be found on the government guidance on hygiene and ventilation, and the CBI’s factsheet on returning to work safely.
Businesses also have an important role to play in supporting the vaccination and booster roll-out. Businesses should show flexibility in supporting employees to get their vaccine/booster during work hours and ensure people have access to the facts and information on the benefits of the vaccine. Firms can also allow staff to volunteer to help deliver booster rollout at pace.
More information can be found in the government’s Employer Toolkit on vaccination.