Coronavirus guidance for businesses

Britain unveiled its “battle plan” to tackle the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday, warning that as many as a fifth of employees could be off work at the peak of the outbreak.

The United Kingdom has so far confirmed 51 cases of the virus, also known as COVID-19, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was “highly likely” the country would see a growing number of cases.

“This is a national challenge … I think we’ll get through it in very good shape,” Johnson told a news conference.

The government’s plan includes possible school closures, home working and cancelling large-scale gatherings to slow the spread of the outbreak. Businesses could be given extra time to pay their taxes if they are facing short-term, cash flow issues.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Public Health England have earlier issued a guidance for employers and businesses, detailing the measures to be taken if someone with suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 has been in their premises.

The guidance also gives advice for the certification of absence from work resulting from the virus, suggesting employers “to use their discretion around the need for medical evidence for a period of absence where an employee is advised to self-isolate due to suspected COVID-19.”

Major points to note:

An employee or a member of the public becomes unwell and believe they have been exposed to COVID-19

• If the person has not been to specified areas in the last 14 days, then normal practice should continue.
• If someone becomes unwell in the workplace and has travelled to China or other affected countries, the unwell person should be removed to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people. The individual should call NHS 111 from their mobile, or 999 if an emergency, and explain which country they have returned from in the last 14 days and outline their current symptoms.

A member of staff or the public with suspected COVID-19 has recently been in the workplace

• For contacts of a suspected case in the workplace, no restrictions or special control measures are required while laboratory test results for COVID-19 are awaited. In particular, there is no need to close the workplace or send other staff home at this point.

A member of staff or the public with confirmed COVID-19 has recently been in the workplace

• Closure of the workplace is not recommended.
• The management team of the office or workplace will be contacted by the PHE local Health Protection Team to discuss the case, identify people who have been in contact with them and advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken.

Individuals in the workplace have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19

• If a confirmed case is identified in the workplace, the local Health Protection Team will provide the relevant staff with advice.
• These staff include: any employee in close face-to-face or touching contact; talking with or being coughed on for any length of time while the employee was symptomatic; anyone who has cleaned up any bodily fluids; close friendship groups or work-groups; any employee living in the same household as a confirmed case.
• Contacts are not considered cases and if they are well they are very unlikely to have spread the infection to others.
• Those who have had close contact will be asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact with the confirmed case. They will be actively followed up by the Health Protection Team
• Staff who have not had close contact with the original confirmed case do not need to take any precautions and can continue to attend work.