Can my work keep me prisoner/ in quarantine?

[Jsygrl]

I work in a care home and I love my job even though it is really tiring, I work 12 hour shifts and when I work 3 consecutive days it really wipes me out. Now that coronavirus has the world in a panic my work has informed us that should anyone within the home or a relative of anyone within the home be diagnosed with coronavirus the carehome will be locked down and quarantined for 14 days. All staff in the building will have to work for that entire duration. At the care home I work in we have day staff and night staff, I start at 07:30 and finish at 19:30 when nightstaff take over. If it’s locked down in the day that will mean that night staff will not be allowed to enter, so essentially we will be working 24 hours a day for 14 days?! Is this even legal/allowed? On top of that I have COPD so I’m really worried that coronavirus might even kill me if I become infected because I’m higher risk? I’m really concerned about this because should it kill me I don’t want to be ‘at work’ I want to be surrounded by my family? So am I legally entitled to tell them that I am not staying and do they have the right to detain me against my wishes? Can they fire me for that? Thank you, this is really making me worry x

That would be unlawful imprisonment.

This could be a major undoing once we end up with Italy’s numbers. Care homes will end up in a very difficult situation. Once a few are infected, it will spread like wildfire.

To those who work in care homes, good luck and thank you.

Here's the thing. By the time we all get it, no one is going to be tested for it. It's just a bad cold/flu.\

I certainly wouldn't be going out of my way to tell people I suspected i had it. Neither would I self isolate family etc.

No one does it with flu. This whole thing is just media driven and it's gone mad.

It's just a bad cold/flu.\ it really isn’t grow up!

The toughest and most tiring job I ever had, was working in care homes. There was also a lack of aprons and gloves. I take my hat off to anyone that does it, especially in the privately owned homes.

I certainly wouldn't be going out of my way to tell people I suspected i had it. Neither would I self isolate family etc.
So would happily risk people’s lives, I really hope you just attention seeking on this board.

OP can you afford to lose your job?

I had this at work with a terror attack scenario. They said no one would be allowed to leave if a terrorist was outside with a gun or something, that there was enough food and everyone could sleep in the basement.

They tried to insist they could legally enforce it. I never checked the truth if it, but there were two ground floor toilets where I could climb through a window and run. Others weren’t double glazed, so if necessary p, I could smash them.

Can you do that? After I realised I could do that, I stopped asking them.

I certainly wouldn't be going out of my way to tell people I suspected i had it. Neither would I self isolate family etc.

Why not?

It's just a bad cold/flu.

Oh ffs, is it any wonder it’s spreading when people are that ignorant of the actual facts. Here! Read and learn, before you end up being responsible for someone close to you becoming seriously ill.

www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-expert-opinions/

When they send you to your car to get that packed bag, that's when you go home.

Of course your work can't imprison you. They don't have any right.

They could not lock you in within the building anyway. That would be a fire hazard. Legally they couldn't hold you there either so either way you are free to leave when you want.

@T0tallyFuckedUpFamily

From the website you posted..

I think we should be prepared for the equivalent of a very, very bad flu season, or maybe the worst-ever flu season in modern times

Like the above poster said. It’s a bad Flu 🙄

The one thing I would suggest, when you get out of the home, is self isolating at home, straight away. If you can phone ahead and get someone to ensure your room is all set up for you and have no physical contact with others. If you start to feel symptoms, phone your local hospital or doctor.

When they send you to your car to get that packed bag, that's when you go home

You beat me to it, that's exactly what I was going to post, hardly rocket science

Just smile and nod, then if it happens you say I'm going to get my bag from the car, and go home!

Of course they can't keep you there. I worked in nursing homes for 10 years though and im not surprised at anything they say

I love the idea that the rest of the world will be ready and waiting to spring into action for all victims of CV.

When 20% of the population have it, there won't be enough people to help.

Like the above poster said. It’s a bad Flu

They don’t mean it IS a flu, just to prepare as you would for a bad flu, while keeping in mind, this is worse. The hygiene advice being given is also the same given for flu, but yet again, that doesn’t mean it is a flu! bangs head off wall

‘I wish I had misunderstood but I was told to pack a bag to leave in my car just in case sad’

@Jsygrl In that case, smile sweetly, tell them you’re off to get your bag and drive off as fast as possible. What are they going to do, call the police? 😂 It’s actually comical!!

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

@Olawisk reading comprehension on this board is a tad lacking at times.

Your quote says bad “flu season” ie similar impact in terms of resources.

It does not equate Covid-19 to the flu, they’re not even the same bloody virus.

OP I’d call ACAS, and check your contract, there must be precedent for a contagious disease being declared at the home.

Plus it’s also a stupid idea to have workers who may have been exposed to stay in the home working with other elderly people who at that point may not yet have been exposed. Over the next 14 days a worker who is incubating it could infect everyone.

I wonder what they would say, if you said “I quit and therefore I am no longer a member of your staff. Now let me, a member of the public, out or I’ll sue the arse of you for kidnapping.”

Agree they can’t keep you
And don’t want to scare monger at all, I’m sure someone has thought about it - but as an (office based) social care professional this scenario does concern me a lot.

All the care comes we use in my local authority are ‘private’ - none are state run,

If they have an outbreak, and staff become unwell, staff who are not unwell are surely not going to want to come in (or maybe be allowed to come in?)
As discussed, they can’t ‘lock’ staff in.
Many struggle for staff anyway and rely on agency/bank staff.

Additionally - if we have trouble sourcing agency home care for people eg if an agency has to ‘hand back’ packages of care because they have a staffing issue, our next option is to look for a respite care placement in a care home. But I can forsee all the homes saying they can’t accept new admissions, or they’re on lock down.
That in itself will also have an impact on getting people out of hospital.

I’m afraid that our social care system feels like a house of cards which is already very close to the edge.