Fine for employers that allow workers who have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) to attend workplace introduced

Implementation date: 28 September 2020

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/1045) provide that an employer that knows a self-isolating worker (including an agency worker) has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, must ensure that the worker does not attend the workplace. A failure to do so is punishable by a fixed penalty notice, starting at £1,000 for a first offence.

Equally, workers who have tested positive or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, must inform their employer, including the start and end dates of their period of self-isolation, or face a fine.