COVID-19 remains a risk: a message from Stuart Keeble, director of public health

COVID-19 will be a feature of our lives for the foreseeable future, so we need to learn to live with it and manage the risk to ourselves and others.

All of us, including Suffolk’s business community, can play our part by understanding the situations where risks of COVID-19 infection and transmission are likely to be higher, taking action to reduce these risks.

In summary, for businesses there are five main actions you can take to protect yourself, your staff and your customers during COVID-19:

• Complete a health and safety risk assessment that includes the risk from COVID-19
• Provide adequate ventilation
• Clean more often
• Ask people with COVID-19 or any of the main COVID-19 symptoms to stay away
• Communicate and train

Key messages for business owners and managers:  

• Please do not ask workers with any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result to come to work
• Do enable workers to work from home if they have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result. If a worker is unable to work from home, you should talk to them about the options available, such as receiving Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
• Do refer workers to the COVID-19 guidance for people with COVID-19 and their contacts

Workers who live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 should follow the COVID-19 guidance for people with COVID-19 and their contacts. They should work from home if they are able to do so.

Keep all your workers, contractors and visitors up-to-date on how you’re using and updating safety measures.

This link may be useful for further information about staying well during COVID19.