Here are the main headlines to be aware of.

From today:

• people with Covid are not legally required to self-isolate
• those who test positive are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least five full days
• self-isolation payments of £500 for people on low incomes will end
• routine contact tracing will end – close contacts no longer advised to self-isolate or take daily tests
• workers are not required to tell their employer if they need to self-isolate

From 24 March: Covid provisions within Statutory Sick Pay and Employment & Support Allowance regulations will end.

From 1 April: free symptomatic and asymptomatic testing will end for most people, although it will still be available for the elderly/most vulnerable. Covid passports will no longer be recommended except for international travel.

Until 1 April, people who test positive for Covid are advised to stay at home, but beyond this date, the government are encouraging those with Covid symptoms to exercise personal responsibility.

In some respects, this all shouldn’t come as a huge surprise; ministers had warned that the rules could end before the planned date of 24 March. Hospital cases are continuing to fall and, whilst cases remain high, death rates haven’t increased beyond what is normally seen in a typical winter. Uptake of the vaccine has boosted population immunity, and there are more treatment options now as compared to the first outbreak. It seems that, certainly for England, we are now at the point where Covid is going to be treated like any other common illness.

For some, this will be a welcome return to ‘normal, pre-pandemic’ life, but for others it will be a time of anxiety and uncertainty as the community testing system is disassembled and responsibility becomes very much a personal decision. Chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance has spoken of the continuing evolution of Covid and to expect further variants of the virus which could be more severe than those we’ve already experienced.

In a business context, the early relaxation of the rules poses some difficult questions for employers as it comes a month earlier than planned. Employers still have a legal duty to manage risks to their employees. Remember, if an employer fails to take reasonable care, an employee may be able to make several claims, including resigning and claiming constructive unfair dismissal and personal injury.

We recommend taking the following action:

• Review your health and safety risk assessment, making sure you have taken reasonable steps to mitigate any risks you identify. This could be regular cleaning of shared spaces, ensuring good ventilation and encouraging good personal hygiene.
• Make sure you have a company-wide policy about what to do if an employee suspects they have Covid or if you have several cases within a team. You will want to make sure there is a consistent approach and managers are clear on the agreed course of action.
• Clarify company expectations for those who contract Covid but are still able to work at home
• Clarify the self-certification rules for those who catch Covid and are too unwell to work
• Consider an employee survey to gather information on who might be feeling nervous about the end of Covid restrictions and the impact this might have on them at work.

For more advice, please get in touch with your HR Partner or contact us on hello@clearbridgehr.co.uk for more support. We would love to hear from you!