One in three shielding from Covid-19 uneasy about returning to work
Thousands of jobs could be lost because shielding employees do not feel safe to return to their workplaces, charities warned as they urged Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, to extend the furlough scheme.
Approximately one in three shielders with a job feels uncomfortable about going back to their workplace, according to a new survey.
The coalition of charities, led by Age UK, says vulnerable staff have "grave concerns" that they will be forced to risk their health by returning to workplaces which will not protect them from coronavirus.
Around 623,000 clinically extremely vulnerable people were working before receiving shielding guidance from the Government. This advice ended on August 1, with the Government's Job Retention Scheme due to finish on October 31.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 32 per cent of workers shielding are "not at all comfortable" with working outside their home.
The ONS estimates that 48,000 shielders will do so over the next four months. It also estimates that nearly three times this number – 141,000 – do not know what their work plans will be over this period, and 38,000 will not return.
Age UK said there is "significant worry" that thousands of workers will be forced to choose between their job and their health.
One in seven workers with lung conditions said they will refuse to return to work even if it costs them their job, according to recent research by Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation.
The charities are also worried that employers will be expected to foot the bill for supporting higher-risk staff amid the recession. They have called for the Government to meet these costs.
If it cannot support businesses to keep their shielding workforce at home, it should help them ensure their workplaces are "Covid-secure", they said.
Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said: "We fear thousands of shielding workers will end up losing their jobs because they can't return to them safely.
"These people have made a lot of sacrifices over the last six months to protect the NHS as well as themselves, and they shouldn't have to lose their jobs as well."
Lynda Thomas, the chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "Cancer cannot become the 'forgotten C' in this pandemic.
"Many people living with cancer are facing huge uncertainty and may be feeling incredibly anxious. No one should be forced to choose between protecting their health or going to work so they can pay their bills."
