Following Government Procedures during Covid-19

What are the regulations?

Businesses have new regulatory considerations in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a fair chance that in the future, many new regulations in times of national crisis will arise building upon previous legislation, tailored to the new situation. Business owners who prepare for such eventualities will be in a position of advantage over those who have not. This section will be considering these provisions under the law, especially how they affect current businesses and what businesses can do in the future.

 

The most relevant piece of legislation to come out in recent times is the Coronavirus Act 2020, one of the fastest ever to receive royal assent (a constitutional process to allow laws to be implemented). This Act was designed to last for 2 years but will vary depending on the development of the virus itself.

 

Businesses must implement new safety and hygiene procedures if their businesses require a physical presence.

• Employees and workers will be able to take emergency volunteer leave (a form of unpaid leave new to the current situation). Businesses will be compensated through a government fund established to repay the loss of earnings incurred as a result of the lack of work done. Volunteers apply through an appropriate authority for businesses to claim compensation.
• The Coronavirus Act 2020 requires businesses to adopt further regulations for statutory sick pay, making it available to claim from the first day of incapacity.
• Employers with less than 250 employees may reclaim the costs of statutory sick pay of COVID-19 related sickness absence, from the 14th March 2020 retrospectively.
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 imposes the same duty of care on employers to ensure that all employees are following health and safety procedures, such as risk assessments, even if they are working from home.

 

The most recent rule that some employers are imposing is just paying basic sick pay (as opposed to enhanced sick pay) for employees who have not been fully Covid vaccinated. There have been border crossings disrupted in Canada (Feb 2022) over the divide that the people who do not want a vaccine are being discriminated against. There are arguments on both sides of this action which will no doubt not be solved to everyone`s satisfaction.

 

How we can help

Lestons can examine the current rules regarding work and the Covid19 pandemic, To gain our assistance you need to open a case, this is done by taking advantage of our free consultation service, activated by the link at the top of the page, should you wish to start a case the caseworker will send you the suitable payment link.

 

Please note your caseworker can only give generic advice, their role is to prepare your details for handling by our legal team and to act as your point of contact, they will also issue you with your Password and PIN, these will be needed to log onto your client dashboard. From your dashboard you will be able to manage and view every aspect of your case, upload documents, images, files etc.