Social Distancing and Self Isolation

Social Distancing

Updated: 30/07/2020

Social distancing measures are steps that are now required to reduce physical distance between people to help reduce the transmission and spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

For those businesses operating and providing services you will need to inform staff how social distancing measures in the workplace setting will be operated to keep them safe.

Think critically about work activities, this is a form of risk assessment. Do you need change the layout of workstations or adapt processes to ensure the 2 metre rule is in place? If employees are out in the community, providing a service, how do they keep the 2 metre distance or depending on the nature of their job do they have an identified need for appropriate personal protective equipment?

More information on COVID-19 guidance for non-healthcare settings

More information on COVID-19: business and physical distancing guidance

Self Isolation

Updated: 30/07/2020

Your employees will need to socially isolate if they or any member of their household have symptoms of COVID-19.

If they have been symptomatic in the workplace, then you must send them home immediately to self isolate for 10 days. The 10-day period starts from the day when you first became ill. You must then thoroughly clean the workplace and if where required temporarily close to ensure this is done.

Household Isolation

Where an employee lives with others, then all household members who remain well may end household-isolation after 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day illness began in the first person to become ill. Fourteen days is the incubation period for coronavirus; people who remain well after 14 days are unlikely to be infectious.  After this they can return to work.

Visit the NHS Inform website (external link) for more information on this as well as guidance on the test and protect approach.