Employers face £1k fine for forcing you to work when self-isolating – and you could be fined £50 if you don’t tell them
ROGUE employers who try to force people self-isolating into work will face £1,000 fines from today.
Employers are already banned from requiring self-isolating employees to come to work, but now it will be illegal and people will face tough punishments.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Fresh laws brought in in England to try and stop the spread of the bug mean those on low incomes can also claim £500 if they need to stay home over coming into contact with someone with the virus.
It is now a crime to knowingly allow workers to attend anywhere other than the home they are isolating in.
There are a handful of exemptions that people are able to leave their homes – but if you’ve got no excuse it will cost you at least £1,000 too.
You must tell your employer you have to self-isolate as well, or that will set you back £50.
Anyone with coronavirus symptoms should be remaining at home and isolating for 10 days.
Anyone who has had close contact with them – more than 15 minutes within 2metres – should isolate too.
Employers can be fined up to £10,000 for repeat offenders and forcing them to work anyway.
This is a fixed penalty notice but could also lead to prosecution in the courts.
Directors and managers could be prosecuted personally if they are found to be negligent.
When can I break self-isolation rules and not be fined?
- To seek urgent medical assistance
- To go to a vet when urgently required
- To fulfil legal obligations – such as attend a bail hearing
- To avoid risk of harm, such as by fleeing a domestic abuse situation
- To obtain basic necessities like food if you can’t get them another way – like via a delivery or a friend
- To attend a funeral of a close family member
- To access critical services
- To move to a different location – but only if you have to and cannot delay
Most read in Politics
People only need to isolate if they have been contacted by the NHS Track and Trace service to self-isolate – but if they get an alert from the new app then it’s not legally binding.
It’s thought that people not isolating when they should be is the cause of a huge number of the fresh coronavirus cases sweeping across the nation.