Dear Colleagues,
As we are sure you’re aware guidance relating to foreign travel and quarantine advice is changing regularly. The Government is now advising against all non-essential travel to Spain. Anyone visiting any part of Spain, including the Canaries and Balearics, is currently required to quarantine for 14 days when they return to the UK.
Any members of Trust staff still planning to travel to Spain must talk to their manager as soon as possible, prior to travelling, to agree how the implications of the quarantine period will be managed. This also applies to other countries without current air corridor agreements. Staff needing to quarantine will be required to use additional annual leave or unpaid leave. There are no exceptions for any groups of Trust staff.
Staff may have seen media reports indicating that key workers are not included in these quarantine requirements. This is not our understanding of the situation. The guidance is being updated regularly which indicates that quarantine applies when returning to the UK from Spain and any other countries the Government designates as such. Further details on which countries are affected are available on the Gov.uk website.
For those staff in Spain now, or who are returning this week, we are looking at a range of options as to how best to support colleagues affected, taking into account the suddenness of the Government announcement over the weekend. Managers of affected staff should seek further advice and guidance from the HR department.
Any further national guidance received will be communicated to staff as and when this is received.
Please remember to check the regular Coronavirus staff update email and the Covid Staff website (password STHKcovid19) which continues to be the ‘go to place’ for all the latest information and guidance.
Thank you.