Employers face £1k fine for forcing you to work when self-isolating – and you could be fined £50 if you don’t tell them

ROGUE employers who try to force people self-isolating into work will face £1,000 fines from today.

Employers are already banned from requiring self-isolating employees to come to work, but now it will be illegal and people will face tough punishments.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Your employer can't force you to come into work while you're self-isolating - or they face a fine — Your employer can’t force you to come into work while you’re self-isolating – or they face a fine

Fresh laws brought in in England to try and stop the spread of the bug mean those on low incomes can also claim £500 if they need to stay home over coming into contact with someone with the virus.

It is now a crime to knowingly allow workers to attend anywhere other than the home they are isolating in.

There are a handful of exemptions that people are able to leave their homes – but if you’ve got no excuse it will cost you at least £1,000 too.

You must tell your employer you have to self-isolate as well, or that will set you back £50.

Anyone with coronavirus symptoms should be remaining at home and isolating for 10 days.

Anyone who has had close contact with them – more than 15 minutes within 2metres – should isolate too.

Employers can be fined up to £10,000 for repeat offenders and forcing them to work anyway.

This is a fixed penalty notice but could also lead to prosecution in the courts.

Directors and managers could be prosecuted personally if they are found to be negligent.

When can I break self-isolation rules and not be fined?

To seek urgent medical assistance
To go to a vet when urgently required
To fulfil legal obligations – such as attend a bail hearing
To avoid risk of harm, such as by fleeing a domestic abuse situation
To obtain basic necessities like food if you can’t get them another way – like via a delivery or a friend
To attend a funeral of a close family member
To access critical services
To move to a different location – but only if you have to and cannot delay

People only need to isolate if they have been contacted by the NHS Track and Trace service to self-isolate – but if they get an alert from the new app then it’s not legally binding.

It’s thought that people not isolating when they should be is the cause of a huge number of the fresh coronavirus cases sweeping across the nation.

£500 to be given to low-income Brits to self-isolate and stop spread of coronavirus, Hancock confirms

READ SOURCE