The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020, which came into force on 28 September 2020, introduced a new fine for employers who knowingly allowing employees who must self-isolate, to work.
Fines, starting from £1,000 and potentially up to £10,000 for repeat offenders, can be issued to any employer that allows a worker who has tested positive for coronavirus, or who lives with someone that has tested positive, to work, unless they can work from home. This is only in scenarios where the employer knew the employee's situation, but means that it is an offence for an employer to let a worker attend any place other than the location in which they should be self-isolating.
Workers are also required, by law, to advise their employer if they should be self-isolating. It is now a legal duty for those who test positive for coronavirus, or who are notified to self-isolate via the NHS Track and Trace system, to self-isolate, and separate fines apply for those individuals who flout the rules.
Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, confirmed that the Government would:
“Crack down on employers that [tried] to prevent staff from following the rules.”