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Boris Johnson has announced that people in England should work from home if they can from 13 December as the government confirmed it was triggering ‘plan B’ of its Covid-19 winter response.
The prime minister announced fresh restrictions in order to curb the spread of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant. “Employers should use the rest of this week to discuss working arrangements with their employees,” said Johnson, “but from Monday you should work from home if you can. Go to work if you must, but work from home if you can.
“I know this will be hard for many people, but by reducing your contacts in the workplace you will help slow transmission.”
Other measures announced include, from this Friday, an extension of the legal requirement to wear a face mask in most public indoor venues, including theatres and cinemas, with exemptions where it is not practical, “such as when eating, drinking, exercising or singing”. The government will next week also make the NHS Covid Pass mandatory for entry into nightclubs, and other venues where large crowds gather.
While Johnson made his announcement in Downing Street, health secretary Sajid Javid updated MPs in the House of Commons saying that the UK is “working night and day” to better understand the Omicron variant.
He said Omicron is “significantly more” transmissible than the Delta variant and analysis suggests it takes only 2.5 to 3 days for cases of the variant to double. “By the end of this month, infections could exceed one million,” he said.
Peter Cheese chief executive of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said: “Many businesses and their people have learned how to work remotely at scale and at speed during the pandemic so will be well placed to respond to this change in guidance. Reducing the number of people in workplaces when they can work from home is the sensible thing to do while infections are climbing and we’re still learning about Omicron, keeping individuals safe and businesses staffed.
“Where people can only do their jobs from a place of work, flexibility on how and when they work can help to minimise exposure to other people. Measures like flexible hours and staggered start times will help to avoid overcrowded spaces both on the commute and in the workplace – a
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