Some workplaces are already seeing groups hit hard by Covid’s absences, as the number of infections reached a record high last week. Official figures show that nearly 5 million people have the disease, or one in 13 of the population. It comes with companies already experiencing rising costs as well as higher national insurance payments this month. Employees are also faced with a decision about when to take the test. There are now concerns that the withdrawal of the free Covid tests for most people in England last Friday will lead to high levels of absences that could have been avoided, causing further upset to businesses that are already struggling. There are calls for a review, with concerns that smaller businesses, as well as hospitality, could be greatly affected. “The Westminster government needs to understand that we are still living with Covid and not him and change its approach to providing free testing again,” said Dan Shears, GMB’s health and safety director. “The cost of providing a test is likely to be less than the productivity cost of millions of preventable infections.” Frances O’Grady, secretary general of the TUC, said the government had created a “perfect storm” for the economy and workers. “Ending free Covid tests in the midst of a cost-of-life crisis is terrible for family budgets and public health,” he said. “With cases soaring again, the last thing employees need to worry about is how well they will be able to afford the exams. “But this is the position that many front-line and low-paid executives have been placed in.” Some unions are now calling on employers to help cover the cost of exams, as they will benefit from shorter absences. “It’s not appropriate for employees to shoulder the cost of Covid testing so they can go to work every day,” Shears said. “Employees do not buy their own PPE and should not buy their own tests.” NHS executives are concerned that the lower Covid hospitalization rate is causing complacency. Some health sources said they were seeing the most difficult period of the pandemic, while hospital cases in some areas were still weeks away from the peak. Scientists expect that infections from the Omicron coronavirus variant, known as BA.2, will be reduced by the end of this month. NHS executives fear that the fact that there are fewer admissions to the Covid wards than earlier in the pandemic leads to a false sense of complacency. Photo: Victoria Jones / PA “Clearly many other things are happening – I think this lullabies the public into a false sense of security,” said Dr. Layla McCay, NHS Confederation’s director of policy. “Thanks to vaccines, people with Omicron are less likely to need hospital treatment, but a small percentage will always need it. A small percentage of a giant number is still a fairly large number and many of our members see it still growing. “In previous Covid waves, there has been a national assessment of the challenge currently facing the NHS and mitigation measures have been taken. “Right now, the NHS is in a confused scenario where they know they are under tremendous pressure because of Covid, but they are also expected to implement recovery plans when they may not necessarily feel they are at this stage.” The Lib Dems estimated that pub owners already struggling with the pandemic and facing rising costs including a 20% VAT refund could face a 4. 4,000-a-year bill to test their staff if they chose to. “The decision to abolish free trials is against business,” said Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem’s health spokeswoman. “This government has lost touch with the harsh reality faced by business owners who just want to stay safe and open. “Once again, small businesses are being shaken by this government’s irrational Covid policies.” Teachers, meanwhile, warned that free tests were being canceled and that self-isolation rules were being relaxed in a way that was confusing and misplaced. Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the National Board of Education, said: “Children who are not well and have a high fever should stay home until they have a high fever. “Adults who test positive are advised to ‘try to stay home’ for five days and children for three. “This confusing guidance is a recipe for even more chaos and will make it even more difficult to manage cases and prevent students from being interrupted.” Ministry of Health officials pointed out that the budget for testing, detection and isolation cost more than 15.7 billion pounds in 2021-2022. They said that protecting the population from Covid is now high enough to reduce costs as a result of vaccinations.
