Salford Citizens Advice
The removal of the Covid restrictions:
The government has announced the end of the remaining Covid restrictions. These are being suspended in a number of stages, as follows:
Now:
Guidance has been removed for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing.
24 February:
The legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test is removed. Adults and children who test positive will be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 days, and then until they have received two negative tests on consecutive days
Fully vaccinated close contacts and people under 18 will not have to test daily for 7 days, and close contacts who are not fully vaccinated will not have to self-isolate
24 February:
Self-isolation support, national funding for practical support and the medicine delivery service will no longer be available
Routine contact tracing will end
The legal obligation for individuals to tell their employers when they are required to self-isolate is ended.
24 March:
On 21 February 2022, the Prime Minister confirmed that the current Covid related easements for statutory sick pay (SSP) and employment support allowance (ESA), due to expire on the 24 March 2022, are unlikely to be extended. This means from 25 March 2022, the conditions for entitlement are likely to revert to the pre-Covid rules. This will include a seven-day waiting period for ESA and three-day waiting period for statutory sick pay (SSP). Your contractual sick pay rights may well be more generous.
Hardship Support in Salford
It’s useful to remember that if you are facing any short-term hardship because of these changes, or anything else, your local council may be able to help you through the Household Support Fund.
For more information about this in Salford go to: https://www.salford.gov.uk/advice-and-support/salford-assist/household-support-fund/ where you can make an online application.
Tom Togher
February 2022.