There were more than 60 suspected outbreaks of COVID-19 in offices in England recorded within the first two weeks of the current lockdown, according to an investigation by the BBC.
This is despite current government guidance, which says that people should work from home if they can, with data from Public Health England suggesting that offices have had greater numbers of outbreaks in comparison to other workplaces.
The figures show that there were more than 500 suspected COVID-19 outbreaks in offices in the second half of 2020. This is a greater number than supermarkets, construction sites, warehouses, restaurants and cafes combined.
Office work can be essential and unavoidable for certain organisations at times, and unions have called for tougher safety rules to protect office workers.
Any business which either cannot circumvent office working, or is looking to get back to the office as soon as possible after lockdown, should be proactive in their approach to creating a Covid-safe workplace and facilitating a safe return for their employees.
There are a number of ways this can be done, such as fitting your workplace with hand sanitising stations and safety screens, as well as providing face masks and sanitising foggers.
You could also introduce a coronavirus testing regime, which is highly effective at preventing the spread of the virus with rapid test kits. This can now be supplemented with the new Covid Safe Passport, which gives employers a real-time overview of the testing status of their entire team.
If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with Covid Safe UK today.
