By Food workers to be given exemption from isolation rules
The government has now said that food manufacturers and depot workers will no longer have to isolate as long as they test negative for Covid, even if they are not vaccinated.
This change comes after fears of food shortages in supermarkets due to the current ‘pingdemic’ in which mass numbers of workers are being told to isolate by the NHS app.
A rising number of retailers have been forced to isolate after ‘pings’ from the NHS app have risen drastically these past few weeks.
Instead of isolating, the government has suggested that the workers do daily testing to ensure their safety at work.
Up to 10,000 workers are expected to benefit from this new rule, but supermarket staff will not be eligible.
The new daily contact testing rule will begin at 15 supermarket depots to be followed by another 150 depot next week.
The government has also outlined plans to allow other key industries in England to deploy daily Covid testing instead of self-isolation for a limited number of essential workers.
However in this case, the scheme will only apply to workers who are fully vaccinated.
Sectors in this scheme will include transport, emergency services, border control, energy, digital infrastructure, waste, the water industry, essential defence outputs and local government.
The policy applies only to workers named on a list kept updated by officials – it is not a blanket exemption for all employees in a sector.
