With the gradual lifting of restrictions, changes introduced on Saturday 1st August 2020 see the official end to shielding requirements.
What has changed
The guidance for the clinically extremely vulnerable is that shielding has been paused. This means:
- you do not need to follow previous shielding advice
- you can go to work as long as the workplace is Covid-secure, but should carry on working from home wherever possible
- clinically extremely vulnerable children should attend education settings in line with the wider guidance on reopening of schools and guidance for full opening: special schools and other specialist settings
- you can go outside as much as you like but you should still try to keep your overall social interactions low
- you can visit businesses, such as supermarkets, pubs and shops, while keeping 2 metres away from others wherever possible or 1 metre, plus other precautions
- you should continue to wash your hands carefully and more frequently than usual and that you maintain thorough cleaning of frequently touched areas in your home and/or workspace
- you will no longer receive free food parcels, medicine deliveries and basic care from the National Shielding Service
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
As of 1 August, those shielding are no longer eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) on the basis of being advised to shield by the government. Employers should help you to transition back to work safely and support you to maintain good hand hygiene and distancing practice in your workplace if you are unable to work from home.
Opinion
Employers have legal responsibilities to make the workplace safe for their employees. For medically vulnerable workers where the employer is unable to make the workplace safe, then medical suspension would need to be considered with the employee entitled to either full pay or furlough pay. Zero hours workers are no longer protected by SSP qualification.
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