COVID-19 – Your questions answered

We understand that this may be a stressful and anxious time for our operatives. We are here to help and reassure you! Please see below the latest guidance on Covid- 19 and how this may apply to you. We have outlined 3 scenarios that may help you during this time:

Please continue to liaise with your Contracts Manager and our Head Office on 0121 289 3258 if we can assist you in any way.

Scenario 1

“The site that I work at is staying open, what should I do?”

If the site that you work at is remaining open for business, you should attend work as normal, as a frontline worker, unless you are displaying symptoms of Covid-19. In this instance, you should follow the guidance as set out at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ and refer to the Stay at home section in the following pages.

Scenario 2

Staying at home

If you have symptoms of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when your symptoms started.

If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

See the stay at home guidance for more information. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

Sick pay

You are eligible for SSP if you are paid £118 or greater, per week, working full time with Fidelis. You can get £94.25 per week, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.

If you are staying at home because of COVID-19 you can now claim SSP. This includes individuals who are caring for people in the same household and therefore have been advised to do a household quarantine.

To check your sick pay entitlement, you should talk to your employer, and visit the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) page for more information.

https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay

SSP start date

We are legislating for SSP to be paid from day 1, rather than day 4, of your absence from work if you are absent from work due to sickness or need to stay at home due to COVID-19. Once the legislation has been passed, this will apply retrospectively from 13 March. You should talk to your employer if you are eligible for SSP and need to claim.

Proof of sickness

If you have COVID-19 or are advised to stay at home, you can get an ‘isolation note’ by visiting NHS 111 online, rather than visiting a doctor. For COVID-19 cases this replaces the usual need to provide a ‘fit note’ (sometimes called a ‘sick note’) after 7 days of sickness absence.

Isolation notes will also be accepted by Jobcentre Plus as evidence of your inability to attend.

https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/

If you have any questions or need assistance with this service, please contact Jon Shaw on 0121 289 3258.

If you’re not eligible for SSP

If you are not eligible for SSP – for example if you are earning below the Lower Earnings Limit of £118 per week – and you have COVID-19 or are advised to stay at home, you can now more easily make a claim forUniversal Creditor new style Employment and Support Allowance.

If you are eligible for new style Employment and Support Allowance, it will now be payable from day 1 of sickness, rather than day 8, if you have COVID-19 or are advised to stay at home.

https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-employment-and-support-allowance

Please contact your Contracts Manager or Alison John at our Head Office on 0121 289 3258 if you have questions.