Coronavirus: Ministers urged to pay the wages of those told to self-separate under test and trace plans

The government faces a call to pay the wages of workers who are told to self-separate in the new environment. Test and trace A plan to prevent people from being forced to choose between paying their bills and putting others at risk.

Under the new NHS tracking program, public health officials Coronavirus Even if there are no symptoms, patients should be isolated for 14 days.

However, concerns have been raised that workers could fall into financial difficulty if the blockades are relaxed and the program is aimed at controlling infection rates.

About 7 million workers are only legally qualified Disease allowance According to a recent analysis of the Trade Union General Assembly, with an income of £95 a week, an estimated minimum wage of 2 million employees will be disqualified if their income falls below a threshold.TUC).

Health Secretary Matt Hancock He admitted that he was unable to live on a legal illness salary..

Liberal Democratic Party member Leila Moran “We have to choose whether to pay the bills or endanger our colleagues and the community,” the workers said.

She urged the government to provide support to isolate employees as well as employees under the Full Law scheme, where the state underwent 80% of the pay bill to prevent mass layoffs.

“People should not be forced to do the right thing and be self-separating,” Moran said. Independent..

“At the moment, workers are at the risk of having to choose between paying bills or putting peers and communities at risk.

“The Secretary of Health admitted that he was unable to survive on his statutory salary, but he looks forward to workers across the country as part of the government’s groundbreaking plan to address the coronavirus.

“The government has properly provided generous support to those who have been temporarily fired through a temporary firing scheme. They must now provide the same level of support to those who need to be self-isolated. Hmm.”

She added: “The short-term costs are nothing compared to the long-term effects of failing to control another occurrence. “

Rachel Harrison, GMB Union’s National Officer, said the plan was brought in by the minister to “what a salary” and without “a real understanding of its impact” to those who work.

“People were forced to work in an unsafe working environment on unsafe public transport, be forced to come into contact with people at Covid-19, and be forced to work for 14 days due to statutory sick pay.” She said.

“Citizens’ obligations do not pay bills, nor do they pay statutory illnesses. If the government directs people to stay home, they must pay.

“Otherwise, pursuit and pursuit only spread either poverty or infection.”

Union leaders had previously expressed concern that testing and tracking systems would be compromised unless salaries for illness were increased.

Frances O’Grady, TUC general secretary, said the government would need to raise statutory sick salaries to the level of actual living wages (about £325 per week) to ensure that the lowest-wage workers are eligible. Said.

She said: “Everyone wants the NHS tests and traces to work, so we can all continue our lives. But doing so drives us into financial hardship. If so, perhaps it’s impractical to repeatedly ask people to separate themselves.”

There is a problem with the test and trace scheme rollout, and the NHS contact tracer is unable to log on when first launched last week. Originally the attached smartphone was planned to be released in mid-May, but it is not yet widespread.

Hancock claimed on Monday that the testing and tracking system was successful, but couldn’t provide the numbers for many of the people he had contacted so far.

However, Channel 4 News figures are recommended To date, less than four out of every ten coronavirus patients identified under the system have been contacted.

The Treasury is contacted in the comments.