Coronavirus quarantine and work

[VocalDuck]

Posting in here for traffic really.

I got back from Italy at the weekend (in the north, but not a town that is quarantined or any current cases of coronavirus).

Following the advice on the news to self isolate, I asked my GP surgery as the town I was in (near Verona) wasn’t mentioned and was told to stay home for 14 days. However, whilst work support me staying home they are looking into whether it will be unpaid leave or not. There is little I can do to wfh and their current view is that I’m not ill, so it’s not sick leave. I don’t have enough annual leave left to take (and have handed in my notice so can’t even borrow leave or work overtime to build up hours once back).

I just wondered if anyone was experiencing the same and what their employers stance had been? I’m trying to get hold of ACAS so I’ve got as much info as possible for when my HR calls me back.

I suppose my AIBU is I feel it should be paid although I do appreciate I am well yet not working. However, it’s not like I can go out and do anything sociable or fun.

I’m hoping they were just caught off guard (this is probably fairly unprecedented in some respects) and after having a think and chat, will agree to pay. Although I wonder if they are worrying about large numbers of employees ending up in quarantine and the financial implications of paying them all.

YABU = unpaid
YANBU = paid

[Chocpear]

VocalDuck, may I ask do you have symptoms, however mild?

[notanotherjigsawpiece]

This was on the BBC website today re getting paid for self-isolation (in the absence of illness)

[c0ffeeandcake]

I don't think yabu. If you get signed off by the doc then you should get sick pay

[WhentheDealGoesDown]

So to get a sicknote which means you should get paid you have to go to your GP which is against the advice. Some random on 111 is not going to issue you one which means you may not get paid.

[Hiphopopotamus]

@LemonTT the OP was asking for advice on the work pay issue, not whether she should be isolating in the first place.

And @swingchandelier for goodness sake!! Two separate GP’s have listened to the OPs specific circumstances and told her to self isolate. Why do you think you know better?

[Devlesko]

Yes, companies should pay or the state. If told to self self isolate then you are going on gp's advice.

i don't understand why those coming from these areas aren't quarantined like all the others had to be. There are kids across Cheshire probably sitting in mackies now, and if one is infected we'll all bloody get it.

[SooticaTheWitchesCat]

Of you are being singed off and your employer agrees and wants you to stay home I think they should pay.

[SarahMused]

But notanotherjigsawpiece she hasn’t been to one of those towns. She has been to N Italy. It is on the news at the moment to follow the advice on the .gov website as on the link further up the thread. I can’t imagine that an individual GP practice is better informed than the government on these issues. Of course your employer will tell you to stay home if they don’t think they have to pay you. If it were me and I was symptomless I would go in to work and show them the advice and tell them that if they want you to go home they will need to commit to paying you as you are being asked to do something not supported by government advice. When they have to put their hands in their pockets they may change their minds.

[nervousinterviewee]

If you have been signed off as unfit to work - whatever the reason - then it should be treated as sick leave and paid by your employer.

[Everanewbie]

If they won't pay you, offer to go in. Maybe do a bit of nose blowing/sneezing/coughing for effect.

I would imagine that a couple of weeks sick pay for you would be perferential to a workforce infected with Corona virus, and this prospect would sharpen the picture for any thick headed HR 'professional'.

[Sackofspuds]

What viva said. Tell them you'll go in. If you've got it you've got it. It's for their protection not yours.

[Nomorerainplease]

I have to say, as a GP, and as someone who had a long conversation with a Public Health Registrar yesterday about an almost identical situation, your GP is wrong.
You are category 2, not category 1 and therefore do not need to self isolate if asymptomatic.
If you want to stay home go be safe, fine but it does make the payment issue tricky as you are not following government guidelines

[Purplequalitystreet]

Whilst it seems unfair, I can't see how the state could fund everyone's wages. The cost would be astronomical. I think that if employer's can't accommodate home working, then it needs to be dealt with as sick leave (but without being included towards Bradford factor)

[Nomorerainplease]

In reply to above, GPS do not have more insider knowledge. They are following PHE advice. Ideally all queries should be via 111. The problem is that 111 often get it wrong.

[Jaxhog]

If your employer wants you to stay home - they pay. If they won't pay, then I'd go to work.

[HoneyBee03]

Although I think you should follow the advice you've been given OP and see if your sick note means you can now get sick pay, I do generally think its concerning that GPs and the government are giving conflicting advice on the matter.

We have friends who recently got back from northern Italy (around an hour from a town on lockdown) and we've been around them lots, they've been at work and carrying on as normal. They followed government advice. But if they had spoken to their GP would they have been told to self-isolate? No wonder people are getting confused or worried.

[Sarahandco]

I saw a programme discussing this earlier, they don't have to pay you but they do if you are at home looking after a child who has to quarantine.

so if you have a child who was with you in Italy and off school then that would be paid? if i understood correctly. However, I would assume only the government advised quarantine.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Matt Hancock said in Parliament this lunchtime that if you are advised to self quarantine then this should be treated as sick leave.

That won't cover those volunteering to self quarantine.

[Whatafustercluck]

My view is, if you're in a job where it's perfectly feasible to wfh then you wfh. And employers, wherever possible, should be taking steps to allow for as much home working as possible. If I wasn't going to get paid, and it wasn't possible/ permitted for me to wfh then I'd go in - and take all reasonable steps to work with my employer to warn co-workers. If they want people to self isolate they need to pay them.

[Sarahandco]

You also need to only quarantine when necessary as we don't know how many times any of us will be expected to quarantine? You get a call next month from Health England to say you have to quarantine because you were found to be with someone who has it. Who is to say that couldn't happen to people multiple times in the coming year.

[PegasusReturns]

Well now you’re signed off then it’s fine and your employers must pay you.

But when you posted you had not been signed off and were at that point being unreasonable.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Skimming replies, sorry, op. I see that you've been signed off by your gp. Then of course you should be paid.

I think some GPs will err on the side of caution, for whatever reason, including the particular health of their own patient that they are considering.

[GreenLeaf88]

You should talk to HR and find out what the policy is in this circumstance. Also, this is why everyone should have an emergency fund -> 3-6 months living expenses saved up in case of emergency (like being unable to work due to quarantine).

To be safe, in addition to stockpiling food, medicine, etc., people should also be saving up money for this.

[CoolcoolcoolcoolcoolNoDoubt]

I still don't get why you're self isolating, if you're not ill and you haven't been to one of the towns in question.

This is from the BBC website, verbatim:

And those who have travelled north of Pisa are asked to stay at home for 14 days if they develop flu-like symptoms.

If your GP and employer can't comprehend simple instructions like this.. the whole country is going to end up in a right state!

[CoolcoolcoolcoolcoolNoDoubt]

But yeah, if you were in a situation where you had to self-isolate, seems really unfair you'd have to take AL!