UPDATED QUARANTINE GUIDANCE ( 7th August 2020 )
Advice for staff:
In the last 24 hours Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra have been added to the list of countries where a 14 day quarantine period on return to the UK will be required. The government have also advised that they are closely monitoring the situation in France and that it may also be added to the list from the 13th August 2020. This is because of the increased incidence of COVID-19 in these countries and means that travel to these destinations is not recommended by the UK Government.
Staff are requested to think very carefully about their holiday plans in the next few weeks and should only travel abroad to countries which are categorised as safe and where at the time of travel there are no travel restrictions in place. It is now clear that the guidance may change at very short notice, if the risks in other countries increase. As a result, overseas travel to any destination will carry a risk of disruption that staff are asked to consider.
The guidance on quarantine leave flexibilities for NHS staff covers those who had previously booked their travel, or are already abroad. It does not apply to staff who book a holiday to these countries after the travel guidance has changed.
Where a member of staff chooses to continue with holiday plans to a restricted country, they must make arrangements with their manager in advance for how the 14 day quarantine period will be treated. This will usually be through a combination of annual leave and/or unpaid leave.
If a quarantine period is applied while staff are away or they are unable to change existing travel plans (e.g. for a family funeral), the Trust will continue to take a supportive approach which could include; using additional annual leave or unpaid leave or consideration will be given to working from home (where the member of staff can fulfil their full duties) or working additional hours (within 6 months) to make up the time lost. These arrangements need to be agreed with your manager, who will also need to consider the needs of the service and the impact on other staff in the department.
The Trust acknowledges how difficult the frequent changes to the government guidance are for staff trying to make holiday plans.
The Trust also appreciates that staff are tired and need to take some leave, so that they can have a break following the pressures of the last few months.
Further details on which countries are affected are available on the Gov.uk website:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors
Any further changes to national guidance will be communicated to staff.