Please take the time to talk to your staff and service users to ensure they know what to do if:

1. They develop coronavirus symptoms
2. Someone in their household develops symptoms
3. They are asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace

Understanding NHS Test and Trace

NHS Test and Trace prevents further spread of coronavirus by:

• allowing people with coronavirus symptoms to get tested
• for those who test positive, tracing their recent close contacts so that they can also self-isolate

What should my employees or service users do if they develop coronavirus symptoms?

• Anyone who develops coronavirus symptoms must self-isolate for 10 days and organise a test by going to nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119. Self-isolating means not leaving your home at all, except to get a test.
• Anyone who lives with others who have symptoms, will need to self-isolate for 14 days from the day the first person started having symptoms. They may be able to stop earlier than 14 days if everyone in their household with symptoms gets a negative test result.
• Anyone who has had close recent contact with someone who has coronavirus, must self-isolate if the NHS Test and Trace service advises them to do so.
• If anyone is worried about being able to self-isolate, help and support is available from Camden Council on 020 7974 4444 (option 9)
• Visit nhs.uk/coronavirus for advice on symptoms, testing and self-isolation. If you're worried about your health or coronavirus symptoms call NHS 111

How can I keep my employees and service users safe to prevent them from developing coronavirus symptoms?

You can keep your employees safe by making sure they understand public health advice, which is:

• Where possible, staying 2 metres away from others
• Regularly washing hands for 20 seconds with warm soapy water
• Taking other precautions – e.g. wearing a face covering and using hand sanitiser

Anyone who does develop symptoms must be encouraged to self-isolate immediately to prevent further spread.

What should I do if a staff member or service user tests positive for coronavirus? 

If one employee or service user tests positive for coronavirus, they need to self-isolate for 10 days and anyone they live with will need to self-isolate for 14 days. This means they can’t leave the house at all so please consider checking whether they need any support to isolate. If this is support you can’t provide, the council is here to help.

If two or more staff or service users test positive for coronavirus, call PHE (Public Health England) London’s Coronavirus Response Cell (LCRC) on 0300 303 0450 who will advise you on next steps. The Council is also here to support you so please call them on 020 7974 4444 (option 9) if you have any concerns or questions.

What should I do if a staff member or service user has coronavirus symptoms but hasn’t had a test?

As workplaces reopen, please remind your employees and service users that if they develop coronavirus symptoms, they should get tested and isolate with their household. If they are unsure or worried about getting a test or haven’t updated you on the result, please get in touch with the Council for advice: CIPHAdmin@islington.gov.uk. This inbox is monitored during working hours and on weekends. 

If they’re worried about self-isolating for whatever reason, the Council is here to help them so please ask them to call us on 020 7974 4444 (option 9).

Preparing for staff absence

There may be times when staff members or service users are asked to self-isolate because they’ve been in close contact with someone who has coronavirus symptoms. This might be from contact with a household member, a colleague, a friend or someone that they know. 

From a staffing point of view, you can prepare for this by making sure your Business Continuity Plans are up to date. For example, there may be times when several staff members are required to self-isolate at the same time so you might want to consider how this would impact your capacity and staffing levels so that you can plan for it. However, you can prevent staff and service users needing to self-isolate as a result of being in close contact with colleagues by ensuring that they stay 2 metres apart from each other at all times and that anyone who gets symptoms isolates at home immediately. 

Where can I go to find out more information?

• NHS Test and Trace – a guide for local businesses  
• NHS Test and Trace – maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors
• The Council’s Local Outbreak Prevention and Control Plan 
• National guidance on working safely during COVID-19 

We’ve developed some materials to help all Camden residents understand the latest public health advice, how to get a coronavirus test and what to do if you need support to self-isolate.

If you’re a business owner or a resident with a ground floor window, please consider printing off a poster and sticking it up to help us raise awareness of this information. Doing this will help keep our local communities safe. If you have a smartphone, you could also consider downloading it onto your phone and sharing it with friends and family so they’re aware of the advice as well.

We’ve translated the advice into four languages – Arabic, Bengali, French and Somali – but if you think we’ve missed a language, please get in touch and let us know via CamdenTalking@camden.gov.uk.

• NHS Test and Trace poster - English
• NHS Test and Trace poster - Somali
• NHS Test and Trace poster - French
• NHS Test and Trace poster - Bengali (coming soon)
• NHS Test and Trace poster - Arabic (coming soon)

We have also created a toolkit with essential public health information so people can create their own content, including videos, to share with their networks. You can download it here.