Thread by @CovidPledge

Over the last few days we have stressed the importance of clean air. But there is another, equally crucial, element of the Covid Pledge: supporting people to stay home when ill. #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (1/10)

When Johnson lifted support for self-isolation in February 2022, he was asked if people should stay home if sick. He replied yes, and he wished the British were ‘disciplined’ like the Germans and did so... #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (2/10)

As many pointed out, this has nothing to do with lack of discipline. It has to do with lack of support. Sick pay in 🇬🇧 is £99.35 per week. In 🇩🇪 it is 100% of ordinary pay for the 1st 6 weeks. The UK is just about the worst in Europe. #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (3/10)

Even when there was support for self-isolation, it was derisory. The total amount was £500, 1 in 8 workers qualified, nearly 70% were turned down. There was no practical support w/accommodation, addressing caring responsibilities etc. #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (4/10)

When asked why support was so miserly (despite clear evidence that support increases adherence and lowers infections), Matt Hancock told a Parliamentary Committee that it was because ministers feared people would ‘game the system’. #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (5/10)

It gets worse. The issue isn’t just lack of support. Many staff have been pressured into going in when unwell. A TUC study suggested 9% of workers infected with Covid were forced to work – and another 10% to work alongside an infected colleague #covidsafetypledge (6/10)

This is a particularly acute issue for vulnerable workers and workers from ethnic minorities who are twice as likely to be on Agency or zero-hours contracts and therefore to be subject to pressures to work while ill #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (7/10)

For all these reasons, not just allowing self-isolation, but also supporting workers so that it is practically possible for them to stay home when infected with Covid – and more generally – is a core element of the Covid Pledge #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (8/10)

And, as with good ventilation, it makes sense not just for employees and for customers, but also for employers. It has been estimated that ‘presenteeism’ (sick people at work) costs businesses £4,000 per employee per year (culture-shift.co.uk/resources/work…) #covidsafetypledge (9/10)

So if ‘build back better’ is to mean anything at all, it must mean building a society in which people can afford to be sick. That is why it is a key plank of the Covid Pledge (covidpledge.uk) and of our Week of Action. #covidpledgeaction #covidsafetypledge (10/10)