I live at home with my mother. I work but my wage is rubbish and it wouldn't pay a rent never mind a mortgage. I would be able to afford a room to rent but they are only available in the city where students generally go to. The city is over 15 miles away from where I am currently and its not serviced by public transport. Or there is a public transport but the timetable is poor.
I work as a nanny for a family. In March, we chatted about covid nd the parents said if their child show respiratory symptoms they will isolate themselves and they will let me know and I won't be required to to to work. I was happy with that.
Over the past week, I learned what they said was a pack of lies and rubbish. They have no intention of keeping me safe in my workplace. The younger children all came down with colds over the past week including sore ear, sore throat and coughs. The parents have been insisting that they were not in contact with confirmed covid cases, and that the colds are just that, colds. They never tested and they don't intend on testing.
The family that I work for don't care about me or don't care about keeping me safe and well. Thing is I care about my family. I want to do my best to try and avoid the virus. I can't social distance in this job when the children need my help with toileting etc and they are coughing into my face. I don't have any PPE to protect myself. The family should have isolated themselves but they refused.
How can I realistically carry on in this working position putting myself and my family at risk of the virus?
I should be in a good position working in a private capacity but I'm not. I would do better in a factory or a hotel with protocols in place to minimise as much risk as possible.
Would I be in my right to walk out of my job? Obviously not walk out on the kids but finish up and not go back.
The mother is at home today too. I heard her talking on the phone to one of her friends. I heard her lie on the phone to her friend about the true situation in the family. One of the girls was supposed to have an appointment in the hospital today and her friend asked about that. Instead of telling the real reason they couldnt attend, the mother said period pain issues. If the mother said coughs, it would draw light upon the situation how the family are not isolating themselves.