How many members of your staff had tested positive for COVID-19 over the last couple of years?
Lost count yet?
The burden of the pandemic on British businesses is by no means limited to staff isolation. But enforced isolation periods of those testing positive, given that all businesses are now open in England at least, means that things still can’t get “back to normal,” for many.
For businesses whose staff cannot work at home (including the hospitality businesses so badly hit by Covid) continuing to run their companies has been tricky and plagued with staff shortages owing to isolation periods.
Well, the Government has some good news. With effect from today, those testing positive for COVID-19 could be released from isolation in five days.
But it’s not as simple as that. First of all, there are conditions that must be met and day 5 might not mean the same to you as it does to the Government.
New Isolation Rules in Summary
- If someone with COVID-19 test negative on the lateral flow on both day five and a six they may leave isolation on day six
- This only applies if the individual also does not have a temperature
So the main point of confusion here, I think, is the fact that the Government is saying isolation is cut to 5 days but their messaging then suggests you may not leave isolation until day six.
That’s because the day that you first test if you’re a symptomatic, or the day that your symptoms start if you have symptoms, is actually the zero – not day one. The isolation period is a minimum of five full days, hence starting the count on day 0.
So, for example, let’s say you have no symptoms but test positive on Monday.
- Monday is day 0
- Saturday is day 5
If you test negative on both Saturday and Sunday (with test 24 hours apart) then you can leave isolation on Sunday. This is, of course, subject to you no longer having a temperature if you had one.
What does this mean for employers?
I’m not convinced it makes a huge difference for most businesses, but the intention appears to be to ease the burden somewhat on public services.
A day or two will help, I’m sure. But many businesses are calling for an end to compulsory isolation for those who are not symptomatic. We may be a while away from that.
Let’s clear up some common questions and confusion.
Can I enforce a return to work for Covid positive stuff on day 6?
Not really. They have to have had 2 negative tests as mentioned above. They must also not have a temperature.
So if a member of your staff tested negative on the a five and six but still has a temperature you cannot have them back in the workplace.
Can my staff work from home if they are positive with COVID-19?
Yes, as long as they’re well enough.
Treat this as though they have any other illness in terms of working from home. If they’re too sick to work, then they’ll be off ill. If they are well enough to work and you can facilitate home working, that’s an excellent solution.
What happens if they test positive on day five?
If someone tests positive on day 5, then they cannot leave isolation on day 6 regardless of a result on day 6.
In this situation, the person to take a test on day six and if that is negative followed by a further day seven negative test, then they may have isolation on day 7.
Essentially, they require to negative lateral flows 24 hours apart in order to leave isolation before day 10.
What happens if someone still testing positive on day 10?
Providing individual is no longer symptomatic, then we leave isolation after 10 days even if they are still testing positive.
As an employer, however, you may wish to take extra precaution if you know that someone is still testing positive. For example, you may wish them to work from home a little while longer if possible or limit their close contact with vulnerable people.
Resources
