Essentially yes, apart from key workers. Although I guess the reality is if business's stay open they will be expecting staff to attend. It's all a mess.
Be nice if they announce something violent gore the idiots who drilled holes in the tyres of ambulances in Ramsgate at the weekend. People deliberately assaulting or abusing hospital staff need sorting too. If they need guinea pigs to inject with Corona virus, these are people we won't miss. Sadly this stuff seems to bring out the best in humanity, but also the utter worst.
I hope Boris makes the position clear. If he tells me not to go to work but does not tell my boss to close his company, I will face a conflict of loyalty. And our firm is so small that if six of the staff decide to do as Boris says, the other six could not keep the company running without them. That will cause internal stress, which will perhaps ruin the good working environment (friendship) we enjoy. If that happens, knowing my boss he will quickly sense that, and probably decide to close the firm. But if he is technically doing that of his own free will (even though in reality he has no choice) where does that leave him? Closing the company on Government orders would at least be simple and clear. No grey areas when it comes to who foots the bill.
My understanding is if the Government 'enforce' companies to close, they will pay 80% of the salaries for 3 months. By this time it would appear that the thought process is that we are 'safe' to return to work.
Anybody attacking Health workers should face the same severe punishments as those who attack Police officers. I'm sorely tempted to say such people should be denied medical help if they contract the virus. But the medics themselves would not deny treatment, even to such low life scum. That is a measure of the humanity of our doctors and nurses.
That's what we need absolute clarity on. Telling me not to go to work is not the same as telling my boss to close his factory. The effect is the same - a closed factory. But the Government should give my boss the same clarity that they give me. Robbing my boss of his workforce but not telling him to close his company down is unfair to him. They force his hand, but can deny later that they were responsible (in that they did not directly order him to close down). It's like telling people not to go to pubs, but not ordering pubs to close. Very unfair on the publicans.
It's year end for the self employed so they should have enough squirreled away to pay their tax bills. Pretty sure I read that this had been postponed for them !!
^Yes, as I thought. Self employed tax returns have been postponed for 3 months - so that's them covered
The real trenches are the front line where the medical staff are working under horrendous conditions. Those who make their complaints public are anonymous for fear of losing their jobs.
Meeting at work tomorrow. Looks like we will try to continue with just a bare minimum staff. Five of us maybe, six at most - those who usually drive to work, and between us have the most varied experience. It will be difficult but we can do it for a while at least ... if none of us falls ill. I hope the bosses can establish how the staff who stay at home will be paid. In three weeks our world has shrunk to just home, supermarket, chemist, and one walk a day. This is the way it has to be, in order to save as many lives as possible. God bless our doctors, nurses, care workers and key workers of every kind.
