The Government’s plan for “living with Covid” in England has been met with a cautious welcome from businesses in the South West.
People who test positive for coronavirus will no longer be legally required to isolate from Thursday (February 24), and free universal testing will end in April, as part of a strategy Prime Minister Boris Johnson detailed to MPs on Monday (February 21).
Those who receive a positive Covid-19 test will still be advised to stay at home for at least five days, but will not be obliged to under law under the plans, which are subject to parliamentary approval.
Routine contact tracing will also end on Thursday, as will self-isolation payments and the legal obligation for individuals to tell their employers about their requirement to isolate.
Mr Johnson also told MPs that changes to statutory sick pay and employment support allowance designed to help people through the coronavirus pandemic will end on March 24.
The TUC and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) have written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, urging him to create an “effective” sick pay system to underpin the economic recovery and to make sure all employers would be able to afford it.
Unions have been stepping up campaigns for better sick pay, arguing that two-million low paid workers, mainly women, do not qualify because of their low earnings.
E-commerce fulfilment firm Huboo, which operates four warehouses in and around Bristol, said the removal of the self-isolation requirement was a “positive step” for the business.
David Hill, head of marketing at Huboo, said: “Given that we have a network of fulfilment centres where our pperations takes place, involving tasks that can’t be carried out remotely, having staff self-isolating meant that we called upon other departments across the business to continue to deliver great service to our customers.
"This was particularly rife during the ‘pingdemic’ during the summer. It was a testament to the strong team ethic here that we navigated this without disruption to service.
“A welcome return to a sense of normality is also a huge boost not only to our employees, but to people in general.”
Jonathan Riley, practice leader for accountancy firm Grant Thornton in Bristol and the South West, also said its staff would welcome the “milestone” end to restrictions.
Mr Riley said: “In our own business, we are seeing a lot of demand from our teams for returning to the office for part of the week, and I’m very pleased to see this happening. As a region and as a country we need to work together and collaborate to achieve growth – and some of that is best done in person.”
Phil Smith, managing director of Bristol-based chamber of commerce Business West, said businesses in the region continued to see access to free testing as “key” to managing workplace sickness and maintaining consumer confidence.
Mr Smith said: “If the Government is to remove this, companies must still be able to access tests on a cost-effective basis.
“Although employees no longer need to self-isolate, employers have a duty of care to ensure the wellbeing of their staff - some staff may still be anxious about the risks.
“We would encourage our staff to work from home if they have been tested positive and be off sick in the normal way if they are poorly. We totally appreciate that many of us want to get back to normal but we should air on the side of caution”.
Caron Khan, president of Dorset Chamber - of which nearly 700 businesses in the county are members - said that while the plans would be met with a “cautious welcome”, employers should continue to show understanding to ensure all staff are “treated fairly and equally.”
Ms Khan said: “This may involve consultation with staff, ensuring appropriate policies are in place, clear guidance is given and measures are introduced to support those who are vulnerable, may feel under pressure or uncomfortable with new or different working arrangements.
“The approach of different businesses will vary but we will all need to keep our eye on the ball as Covid has not disappeared and we must ensure that we do the right thing for our businesses, our people and our customers in the coming weeks and months.”
Oliver Bruce, the chief executive and founder of Gloucestershire-based creative content agency PinPoint Media, said that when restrictions were lifted the business would continue to allow its staff to work from home and it would welcome discretionary testing if requested.
Mr Bruce said: “The lifting of restrictions is welcome to many I am sure, however, the way PinPoint Media as a business operates will remain the same.
“We will continue to ensure the health and wellbeing of our teams up and down the country as well as continue to ensure staff get to enjoy the autonomy and flexibility that's become so important over the last 24 months.”
Mr Bruce added: “We need to remember, the virus hasn't disappeared completely, we are simply all learning to live with it and so we must all use a modicum of pragmatism.”
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