Today (23rd March) marks a year since the first national Covid-19 lockdown was introduced in the UK.
The Prime Minister’s announcement on that day changed our lives completely. 12 months and three national lockdowns later, many of us will have friends, colleagues and family members we haven’t seen in what feels an eternity.
There have been major implications for workers in this time, too. A lot of people have found themselves on furlough for a significant proportion, while many others have, unfortunately, been made redundant.
Thanks to a strong collective national effort, particularly in regards to the development and subsequent rollout of vaccines, the outlook now looks a lot more positive. Nearly 30 million people have now had their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while daily numbers of cases, hospital admissions and deaths are steadily declining.
Despite this, we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas as a nation. Another wave of Covid-19 infections across Europe is resulting in lockdown measures being reintroduced in some countries, providing a stark warning of how quickly the situation can deteriorate if we’re not collectively sensible in our approach moving forward.
While the vaccination numbers are encouraging, a vast majority of those still require a second dose, and there is still a significant proportion of the population yet to be vaccinated. Therefore, there is still a long way to go to achieve herd immunity, and even longer still before we come out the other side of this pandemic.
As such, it is imperative we continue to adhere to Covid-safe procedures, particularly as more parts of society begin to open up again in the coming months and more people return to the workplace as a result.
If you’d like to find out how you can make your workplace Covid-safe ahead of returning to the workplace, get in touch with us today.
