Warning to Employers re Coronavirus and Self Isolation ⚠️ 🚨
It is now an offence for an employer knowingly to allow a worker who should be self isolating to attend the place of work during the isolation period.
The latest legislation which brings in offences re self isolation says this:
“where the employer of a self-isolating worker or a self- isolating agency worker is aware of the requirement to self-isolate, the employer must not knowingly allow the worker or self-isolating agency worker to attend any place other than the designated place, during an isolation period, for any purpose related to the worker’s or self- isolating agency worker’s employment.”
There are Fixed penalty notice fines issued with £1000 for the first offence up to £10,000 for multiple offences.
The only defence is a “reasonable excuse” and of course if you allowed them to attend and the employee hadn’t informed their work of their requirement to self isolate.
The Act also attaches liability and sanction to officers of the company as well as the company, so expect personal fines as directors too if they can show you knew but didn’t stop the worker attending work.
Written by Steven Mather, a business solicitor acting on company sales and purchases. This is general information about the law, not legal advice on your situation.
