Since my last update there has been confirmation of an increase of people who have been infected by the Coronavirus in the UK. Whilst the UK Chief Medical Officers have maintained the risk to the public as moderate, the risk to individuals has not changed and still remains low.
We understand you may be concerned but we would like to assure you that the health, welfare and safety our employees is a priority. We’re closely monitoring the situation and associated government guidance which is continuing to advise on precautionary measures to prevent the spread of infection.
The latest guidelines
If you have returned from the specific areas listed below since 19 February, Public Health England advise to self-isolate, contact NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if you do not have any symptoms:
- Iran
- Specific lockdown areas in northern Italy as designated by the Government of Italy
- Special care zones in South Korea as designated by the Government of the Republic of South Korea
- Hubei province
- Mainland China
- Thailand
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Macau
If you have travelled to the UK from the following areas within the last 14 days and are experiencing a cough, fever or shortness of breath, please stay indoors and call NHS 111 immediately, even if your symptoms are mild. Please also notify your manager as soon as possible if you are experiencing any symptoms.
Self-isolation and sickness absence
You can find out more information about self-isolation on the goverment website. If you need to self-isolate you should notify your line manager of your situation immediately. If you’re in a role that enables you to work remotely you should seek agreement with your manager to work from home during this period. Your manager should then inform their SMT. Where working remotely is not possible, line managers will need to escalate the matter to the relevant SMT member who will decide on the appropriate course of action.
In the event that you are working remotely and you become ill during the self-isolation period, you should follow the NHS guidance and advise your manager who will then record your absence as sickness in the normal way on Unit 4.
To enable us to closely monitor the situation with our colleagues, managers will be required to notify their SMT member of any cases where the above scenarios have occurred and self-isolation or a period of sickness is required.
Overseas travel and business trips
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently advising against travel to any of the affected areas specified above unless it is essential. The Growth Company does not consider any of our business-related activity to be essential for these purposes. Therefore, if you have business related plans to visit any of the affected areas, we advise you to speak to your manager and make appropriate arrangements to cancel your travel.
In general, we do not expect colleagues to go on a business trip or attend events if they feel if there is a risk to their health. If you have any concerns, you are advised to talk to your line manager or contact HR Service Desk.
For the most up-to-date travel advice please refer to Visit Britain for further information regarding travel trade, whilst travel advice for concerned visitors is regularly updated by the UK Government.
School closures
If colleagues are affected by school closures, agile working should be considered and agreed with line managers. If this is not possible annual leave or unpaid leave can be taken.
Good hygiene
Colleagues should continue to refer to the latest NHS guidance which provides advice on symptoms, course of action and individual control measures to further reduce any individual risk. These include some basic steps such as:
- Ensuring good hand hygiene - wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available. Desk wipes and hand sanitisers have been made available to colleagues.
- Minimise prolonged proximity to anyone coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
- Discard used tissues in the bin straight away
- Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean Colleagues should familiarise themselves with the latest guidance and ensure they undertake appropriate steps to reduce individual risk.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as and when required.
Kind regards Vicky Barton Director of HR and Organisation Development