Government support for shielding came to an end on 1 August, meaning more than two million people shielding against Coronavirus in most of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland can now leave their home and return to work. The advice is that you can now go to work as long as the workplace is Covid-secure, but you should carry on working from home wherever possible
The changes means that people who were shielding will no longer receive food boxes and medicine deliveries from the government. You can view the Government’s updated guidance in full here. …….
The changes have raised concerns among Disabled People’s Organisations about the risks being faced by clinically vulnerable people upon returning to work. Fazilet Hadi, head of policy for Disability Rights UK said “The government’s one size fits all approach to stopping shielding could leave some people with no option but to return to unsafe public transport and work places, which put them at an unacceptably high risk of catching the virus”.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics highlights that 600,000 clinically vulnerable people would be at work in normal circumstances. About 218,000 shielders were furloughed at the end of June, 189,000 of whom reported they could not do their job from home. 96,000 have stopped working entirely, and another 30,000 are on the Self Employment Income Support Scheme.
The Disability News Service reports that shielders are “confused, scared and distrustful” following the changes. The report highlights concerns raised by Bristol Reclaiming Independent Living about “shielders being forced to return to work and potentially being penalised by employers if they refuse to do so.”
Vici Richardson of Disability North added that “there are a lot of people who remain distrustful of general advice and there is still an awful lot of anxiety, even from disabled people who are not on the shielding list. Some of those who have been shielding are about to return to work and are very apprehensive”
