Applying for a New Assignment or Continuing an Existing Assignment During Covid-19:
When to self-isolate and what to do
Information:
Self-isolation is different to:
social distancing – general advice for everyone to avoid close contact with other people
shielding – advice for people at high risk from coronavirus
If you believe you or someone you live with are at high risk from Coronavirus please let us know as soon as possible and follow the guidance in the link above.
The purpose of this document is to help you determine whether you are in a position to:
undertake interviews in person with hirers
commence assignments on site
continue on an existing assignment
If any of the situations outlined in this document apply to you and you believe you should self-isolate, you must let us know immediately to confirm how your application and assignment can continue.
What is self-isolation?
Self-isolation is when you stay at home because you have or might have coronavirus (COVID-19).
This helps stop the virus spreading to other people.
When to self-isolate
Self-isolate if:
you have any symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature; a new, continuous cough; a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste)
you’ve tested positive for coronavirus – this means you have coronavirus
you live with someone who has symptoms or has tested positive
someone in your support bubble (i.e. where people who live alone (or just with their children) meet people from 1 other household) has symptoms or has tested positive
you’re told by NHS Test and Trace that you’ve been in contact with a person with coronavirus
Information:
For information about self-isolating when you come to the UK, the latest Government advice here
How to self-isolate
You must not leave your home if you’re self-isolating.
do not go to work, school or public places – work from home if you can
do not go on public transport or use taxis
do not go out to get food and medicine – order it online or by phone, or ask someone to bring it to your home
do not have visitors in your home, including friends and family – except for people providing essential care
do not go out to exercise – exercise at home or in your garden, if you have one
Get a test if you have symptoms
If you have symptoms, get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible.
The test needs to be done in the first 5 days of having symptoms.
Tell people you’ve been in close contact with that you have symptoms
You may want to tell people you’ve been in close contact with in the past 48 hours that you might have coronavirus.
What does close contact mean?
Examples of close contact include:
close face to face contact (under 1 metre) for any length of time – including talking to them or coughing on them
being within 1 to 2 metres of each other for more than 15 minutes – including travelling in a small vehicle
spending lots of time in your home, such as cleaning it
They do not need to self-isolate unless they’re contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service. But they should take extra care to follow social distancing advice, including washing their hands often.
If they get any coronavirus symptoms, they must self-isolate and get a coronavirus test as soon as possible.
How long to self-isolate
If you have symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus, you’ll usually need to self-isolate for at least 10 days.
You’ll usually need to self-isolate for 14 days if:
someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive
someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive
you’ve been told by NHS Test and Trace that you’ve been in contact with someone who has coronavirus
