Dear all
Government has issued a letter to all CEVs in England, this letter is a formal shielding notification and can act as evidence for employers to show that a person cannot work outside their home from the period 5 January until 21 February 2021, including for statutory sick pay (SSP) purposes.
For those areas that were previously in Tier 4 (this includes London), letters were already issued advising CEV individuals to shield. The new letter on Shielding during the lockdown replaces that letter. Postage of letters will be prioritised to CEV individuals in areas that were not in Tier 4 prior to the national lockdown. This means, CEV includes in WEL will most probably receive their letters towards the end of next week.
Shielding advice will apply until 21 February 2021. If the advice is to continue beyond that date, CEV individuals will be informed again with further information.
CEV people are advised to stay at home as much as possible. They may still go outdoors carefully to exercise or to attend health appointments. CEV individuals are strongly advised to work from home if they can. If they cannot work from home, then they should not attend work. Individuals may be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough).
Full shielding guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19