What's New

A wide range of trade unions around the world are calling for COVID-19 to be classified as an occupational disease for all affected workers, to guarantee stronger workplace protections and ensure access to compensation.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that all care home residents and staff in England can now be tested for COVID-19 "whether they have symptoms or not".

HM Revenue & Customs has announced a temporary zero rating on supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) under new coronavirus measures, likely to affect businesses and individuals purchasing PPE for protection from infection.

Families of eligible workers who die from coronavirus in the course of their frontline essential work will receive a £60,000 payment.

The Government guidance for employers on the Job Retention Scheme has been updated as of 15 April 2020. Eligibility for the Scheme has changed and the key date for eligibility is now 19 March 2020 instead of 28 February 2020.

Free visa extensions will be automatically granted to more crucial overseas health and care workers, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced.

The Government has announced that furloughed workers planning to take paid parental or adoption leave will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rather than a furloughed pay rate.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published more guidelines in its COVID-19 Rapid Guideline series of information for healthcare practitioners on maximising the safety of patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.

NHS England has said GP practices should contact all of their patients who are shielding from COVID-19 as a "follow-up" to the NHS letter notifying them to stay at home for 12 weeks.

The Government has announced the appointment of Paul Deighton, chief planner of the 2012 London Olympics, as the new personal protective equipment (PPE) tsar, whose role will be to lead the national effort to co-ordinate the manufacture and distribution of the essential equipment for frontline health and social care staff in the COVID-19 pandemic.