Gov to announce list of workers exempt from isolation
Staff that work in the key sectors that will be named on the list will not have to quarantine for up to 10 days if pinged as long as they have been fully vaccinated
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed that the government is set to announce the list of Uk workers who will be exempt from self-isolation rules later today (22 July).
Kwarteng revealed the news while speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme. Staff that work in the key sectors that will be named on the list will not have to quarantine for up to 10 days if pinged as long as they have been fully vaccinated.
The news comes as UK supermarkets were said to be under “increasing pressure” as the sector reportedly has seen “thousands” of members of staff forced to quarantine due being notified by the NHS test and trace app in what has been dubbed as the ‘pingdemic’.
Also speaking to the BBC, Iceland managing director Richard Walker revealed that around 1,000 members of its staff are currently absent from work due to Covid-19 related reasons.
He added that the situation could become “a lot worse a lot quicker” unless the government intervenes.
This echoed calls made by Andrew Opie, director of food ad sustainability at the BRC, who also told the publication: “The ongoing ‘pingdemic’ is putting increasing pressure on retailers’ ability to maintain opening hours and keep shelves stocked.
“With community cases soaring, the number of healthy retail staff having to self-isolate is rising fast, disrupting retail operations.”
