COVID-19 Update

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by James Mawby

COVID-19 FAQs

COVID-19 FAQ’s

This document contains a number of FAQ’s that we have found ourselves answering recently, all the information contain in this document is the most up to date information that has ben provided and all references are included at the end of the document.

As new information is published by the British Government, the World Health Organization, the NHS or Public Health England we will update this document.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 stands for, Coronavirus Disease 2019 and it is an infectious disease cause by a newly discovered coronavirus. Many people who are infected will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and will recover without any special treatment. However, older people and those with underlying medical problems such as, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease are likely to develop serious illness.

The best way to prevent and slow down the spread of the virus is to keep yourself up to date with the latest information on COVID-19. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and you should refrain from not touching your face.

COVID-19 spreads mainly through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, you should practice respiratory etiquette, for example cough into a flexed elbow or into a tissue.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

The symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• • • • • A high temperature (37.8 Celsius or above).
        • A new, continuous cough.
        • A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

When should I get a test?

You should go and get a COVID-19 test as soon as possible if you have any symptoms of coronavirus, these symptoms are:

• A high temperature (37.8 Celsius or above).
• A new, continuous cough.
• A loss or change t your sense of smell or taste.

In England and Northern Ireland, the test needs to be done in the first 8 days of having symptoms.

In Wales and Scotland, the needs to be done in the first 5 days of having symptoms.

If you do not have any of the above symptoms or different symptoms you do not need to get tested.

Can anyone get a free test?

If you have any of the above COVID-19 symptoms you can get tested, you can also get a test if the following applies to you:

• • • • • You have been asked to get a test by a local council.
        • You are taking part in a Government pilot project.
        • You have been asked to get a test to confirm a positive result.

You can also get a test for someone you live with if they have symptoms.

If you are going into hospital to have surgery or any procedures, you may need to have a test prior to going into hospital. If this is required, then the hospital will arrange this for you.

Who cannot get a free test?

You cannot get a free test if:

Your school or employer has asked you to get a test, but you have no COVID-19 symptoms.

You have come to the UK from a high-risk country.

You are planning to leave the country.

If you feel the need to have a test for any reason and you do not qualify for a free test you can pay for a private test.

How do I book a test?

If you have any of the COVID-19 symptoms as listed above then you can book you free test by either calling 119 or at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

What is self-isolation?

Due to the nature of how COVID-19 spreads it is imperative that, should you test positive, live with someone who displays symptoms/tests positive or if you have come in close contact with someone who has tested positive, you stay at home for 10 days so that you do not risk passing this on to others.

When should I self-isolate?

You should self-isolate immediately if:

• • • • • You have any symptoms of coronavirus (A high temperature, a new continuous cough or loss change to your sense of smell or taste).
        • You have tested positive for coronavirus.
        • Someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive.
        • Someone in your support bubble has symptoms and you have been in close contact with them since their symptoms started or 48 hours before their test.
        • Someone in your support bubble tested positive and you’ve been in close contact with them since they had the test or in the 48 hours before their test.
        • You have been told you've been in contact with someone who tested positive.
        • You arrive in the UK from another country.

What is social distancing?

Everyone in England should maintain a 2-metre distance from others where possible, where it is not possible you should maintain a 1 metre plus distance.

What is shielding?

People who are defined as extremely clinically vulnerable are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 will have received a letter from the Department of Health, NHS or their GP advising them to stay at home at all times and not leave the house, they will be advised to get support for essential items.

What is a support bubble?

A support bubble allows you to link 2 households together, you must meet certain eligibility to be able to form a support bubble. If you do form a support bubble with another household you can think of yourself as being in one household and you can have close contact.
The rules on who can form a support bubble changed on the 2^nd December 2020 to widen eligibility for forming one; you can form a support bubble with another household if:

• • • • • You live by yourself – even if carers visit you to provide support.
        • You are the only adult in your household who does not need continuous care because of a disability.
        • Your household includes a child who is under the age of one or was under that age on 2 December 2020.
        • Your household includes a child with a disability who requires continuous care and is under the age of 5 or was under that age on 2 December 2020.
        • You are aged 16 or 17 living with others of the same age and without any adults.
        • You are a single adult living with one or more children who are under the age of 18 or were under that age on 12 June 2020.

You should not form a support bubble with a household that is part of another support bubble. You should form a support bubble with a household that is local to you to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone in your support bubble develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19 up to 48 hours after you last met you must self-isolate for 10 days and only get a test if you develop COVID-19 symptoms.

What if you share custody of your child with someone you do not live with?

A child can move freely between both parents’ households without needing to form a support bubble to do this.

You can form a support bubble if eligible.

What is a childcare bubble?

A childcare bubble is different to a support bubble.

You might be able to form a childcare bubble to provide or receive childcare from one other household if you live with someone under the age of 14. You must not meet socially with your childcare bubble and you should avoid seeing your childcare bubble at the same time as your support bubble.

If you are in a support bubble this does not stop you from forming a childcare bubble.

What is NHS Test and Trace?

NHS Test and Trace is a Government service that ensures that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) can quickly be tested to find out if they have the virus, and also includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents. It also helps trace close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for coronavirus and, if necessary, notifies them that they must self-isolate at home to help stop the spread of the virus.

You can download the NHS Test and Trace app on to your smart phone using the below links:

Apple - NHS Test and Trace Apple App

Android - NHS Test and Trace Android App

What does close contact mean?

Close contact with regards to COVID-19 is where you have been in direct contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, please see a list of what is considered close contact below:

• • • • • Face to face contact, this includes being coughed on or having a face to face conversation within one metre.
        • Being within one metre for one minute or longer without face to face contact.
        • Being within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (either as a one-off contact or added up together over one day).
        • Spending significant time within the same household.
        • Travelled in the same vehicle or plane.
        • Sexual partner.

Where you have interacted with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 through Perspex (or equivalent) is not usually considered to be a contact, providing there has been no other contact as listed above.

Anyone deemed a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be notified by NHS Test and Trace and should follow the guidance closely.

What is a travel corridor?

The British Government introduced travel corridors during the summer of 2020, this allowed people travelling from certain countries, where there was a low number of COVID-19 cases to travel to the UK without the need to self-isolate on their arrival. This list can be found using the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors.

However currently all travel corridors are suspended as of 4am on Monday 18^th January 2021, meaning all passengers that arrive into the UK via rail, sea or air must self-isolate for 10 days, this isolation period starts the day after you arrive in the UK. You must provide a negative coronavirus test to travel to England.

Those returning from overseas will not be automatically eligible for statutory sick pay during this period.

Certain jobs may mean travellers to the UK are exempt from the isolation period when they arrive in the UK. A list of these jobs can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules.

References

World Health Organization - www.who.int, (2021). Coronavirus. [online]  https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1 [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

NHS – www.nhs.uk, (2021. When to self-isolate and what to do. [online] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/#:~:text=Get%20a%20test%20as%20soon,you%20have%20different%20symptoms. [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

Public Health Agency - www.publichealth.hscni.net, (2021). When to self-isolate – a simple guide. [online] www.publichealth.hscni.net, https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/covid-19-coronavirus/covid-19-information-public/when-self-isolate-simple-guide [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

UK Government - www.gov.uk, (2020/2021). Making a support bubble with another household. [online] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

UK Government - www.gov.uk, (2021). Coronavirus (COVID-19): jobs that qualify for travel exemptions. [online] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

UK Government - www.gov.uk, (2020/2021). Coronavirus (COVID-19): travel corridors. [online] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors#updates-to-the-travel-corridor-list [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

UK Government - www.gov.uk, (2021). Get coronavirus test. [online] https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

UK Government - www.gov.uk, (2021). Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person. [online] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person#:~:text=face%2Dto%2Dface%20contact%20including,up%20together%20over%20one%20day) [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021]

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by admin

COVID19 Update - Lockdown 2

10/11/2020

Following the second national lockdown that was enforced by the Government on Thursday 5^th November 2020, we wanted to update you all on Igloo’s current status.

Presently we are pleased to report that ourselves and all of our clients are all strictly following the Government and World Health Organisation’s guidelines meaning they are able to continue to operate in a COVID safe environment.

We therefore continue to recruit candidates for roles across the country, so if you, a family member or any of your friends are looking for work whilst you are furloughed or if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being unemployed then search our current vacancies on the Job Search page on our website or call our recruitment team on 01455 891358 where our team of consultants will be able to discuss suitable vacancies with you.

Remember you can work elsewhere whilst you are furloughed by your employer. Click here to read more on this.

Please continue to check back on this page as we will post updates as and when we have more information to communicate to you.

Stay safe and alert and keep yourself and your loved ones safe at this unprecedented time.

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by admin

Furloughed and Need Work? Igloo Wants YOU!

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by James Mawby

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We have taken steps at our offices to ensure that our offices are safe for our employees and workers to return to as we start to welcome our team back to work.
At our Head Office we have ensured all the workstations are a minimum of 2 metres apart with no staff being asked to work opposite a colleague. We have fully risk assessed our office and have a Covid-19 Safe Systems of Work document that will be shared with all our returning head office team, which as well as social distancing measures includes appropriate safety equipment and products such as hand sanitiser, wipes and anti-bacterial spray placed frequently around the offices and near common touch points. We will also be giving returning employees a welcome back induction to explain in detail the new office rules and layout.

Many of our workers and employees work at our client’s sites where Igloo will be supporting our clients with welcome back inductions to advise returning workers of the new site rules and layout and providing details of site risk assessments.

Igloo is committed to ensuring the safety of all of our employees and workers whether that is at Igloo’s offices or at our client’s sites, we have representatives that are constantly reviewing the onsite safety and will make changes and suggestions as appropriate to ensure that risks are continually measured, monitored and responded to accordingly.

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by James Mawby

Furloughed & want to earn extra cash, then Igloo wants you!!

Furloughed & want to earn extra cash, then
Igloo wants you!!

Have you been furloughed by your current employer?

Do you still want or need to work?

If so, Igloo wants you on a temporary/ad-hoc basis

Under the guidelines of the Governments Job Retention Scheme although you are unable to work for the employer who has put you on this scheme you are able to work for another employer, providing your contract allows.

If you choose to do this then you will still be entitled to the 80% through your employer, whilst working temporarily on an assignment with Igloo, where you would receive competitive rates of pay and you will be paid weekly.

We are fully aware of the “furlough status” of an Employee or Agency Worker and we appreciate that once you have served three weeks on furlough status you may be required back to work at your current employers.

If you want to check this out for yourself please click on the below link which will take you to the page containing this information on the Governments website, scroll down to the section titled, While you’re on furlough.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme 

Check out Igloo’s latest jobs on the below link:

https://www.iglooautomotive.com/job-search/ 

If you haven’t got time to scroll through job listings, then click on the below link to simply register your interest and we will contact you to discuss suitable roles with you.

https://www.iglooautomotive.com/register/ 

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by James Mawby

1st CJRS Applications Submitted

Igloo are pleased to announce that the first Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claim was successfully submitted on Thursday afternoon (23^rd April).  The claim included several hundred workers and covered the period up to 26^th April 2020.  It is now our intention to make one submission per week, to run in line with our weekly payroll, therefore allowing any further staff who are furloughed between now and the date of the scheme closing (30^th June) to be added on a regular basis.

Due to the nature of the business, the first claim was not straightforward, with workers furloughed on a variety of dates, dependent on client requirements, whilst each individual claim had to be checked using the HMRC online calculator.  Management would like to place on record their thanks to the team of James Mawby, Kieran Flood, Paulina Dziewiecka, Jess Lissaman and Alan the Border Collie for their help so far.

We have been told that the claim should be processed within six working days and, once the money has been received, we will be in a position to pay the funds, subject to the usual Tax and National Insurance deductions, to those workers who have been placed on the scheme.

The CJRS has produced considerable debate within the Temporary Recruitment sector, and it is worth noting that numerous agencies and umbrella companies have chosen not to utilise it. However, Igloo have decided to make use of the scheme, ensuring that our workforce have financial support during these unprecedented times.

Kind Regards,

Mike Scott

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by James Mawby

Igloo's Behind The Scenes CJRS Process

Up and down the country Employers, Employees and Agency Workers would have been delighted to learn that the HMRC’s portal went live on Monday 20^th April 2020, putting all Employees and Agency Workers one step closer to getting their 80% payment of their wages from the Government in the form of a grant.

Since the announcement by the Chancellor on Friday 21^st March 2020 about this scheme Employers, along with their legal teams and industry bodies, will have been frantically trying to understand and interpret this new legislation and decide exactly what a “Furloughed Status” means for an Employee, an Agency Worker and how this impacts the Employer.

From the initial announcement, businesses like Igloo were trying to ascertain if in actual fact their Agency Workers would even be able to be included in the scheme as none of the guidance or information coming out of the Government suggested that  Agency Workers would be included until they released guidance  late on Wednesday 26^th March 2020 that specifically made reference to Agency Workers being included in the scheme.

We were delighted with this announcement and excited to share the news with our Agency Workers that we would do everything possible to ensure we could protect them in these truly difficult times.

From this day on we have been working around the clock along with our Legal Partners and The REC (our industry body) to not only understand the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) but what exactly was needed for Igloo to be compliant with the scheme and  ready to apply when the portal opened.

The first question that needed to be answer was, “are Igloo going to put people on to the CJRS?” There has been a misconception that Employers have to do this. In reality Employers do not need to make use of this scheme should they choose not to, for whatever reason. This could be because Employers still need their employees and Agency Workers in the business or where there has been a reduction in work, they have had to look at other measures such as redundancy. In the specific case of Agency Workers, agencies could of course opt not place their workers on furlough.

Once our Director and Senior Management had decided Igloo would participate in the scheme the next step was for us to ascertain who exactly met the Government’s criteria and who’s assignments ended as a direct impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. We dedicated a member of the team to look after all the queries that were coming through and responded to every query individually to explain what we knew at that point.

Our Company Accountant then had the huge task of sending out letters to all those that did qualify, these letters needed to be personalised and with hundreds of letters to send, he lost evenings and parts of his Easter weekend getting these emailed out. Please join me in saying a massive thank you to Mike for working tirelessly to send out this communication!

If you have received one of these letters and have still not replied, then please do so.

That brings us up to Monday 20^th April 2020 and the HMRC application portal and Job Retention Scheme Calculator going live.

We wanted to make our application at the earliest opportunity with the aim of recompensing our workers without delay. Now the portal is open and we can see what specific information is required, specifically for those on variable pay, we are in a position to start compiling the information ready for submission.

This is happening as we speak. We have assembled a team of five, even bringing one of the team back from furlough to help process these calculations to speed up the application process. This interim team is being headed up by our Company Accountant and we have 4 colleagues working within our head office (social distancing of course as you will see in the picture below) and one working from home with their avid PA, Alan the dog.

Please be assured that we are working extremely hard and pushing a lot of resources at this process to ensure we can get the grant application submitted without delay and fingers crossed the grant paid to Igloo  and ultimately passed  on to our Employees and Agency Workers as quickly and as efficiently as we possibly can, whilst ensuring we are fully compliant with the HMRC rules on the scheme.

Once we have any update on payments and payment schedules, we will update our website.

Please continue to email your queries through to compliance@igloodrivers.com

Once again, we thank you for your patience at this worrying and unprecedented time. Please continue to follow the Governments guidelines and stay safe.

 

 

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by James Mawby

COVID-19 Update

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by James Mawby