SSP: individuals instructed to self-isolate

The Statutory Sick Pay (General) (Coronavirus Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations, SI 2020/539, provide that individuals who have been notified that they have had contact with a person who has coronavirus, and that they should stay at home and self-isolate as a result, are deemed to be incapable of work and therefore entitled to statutory sick pay. This is part of the UK government’s contact-tracing strategy, providing support for employees who are unable to work as a result of the notification to self-isolate. Statutory sick pay in the UK is £95.85 per week. The regulations come into force on 28 May 2020 (the same day as the start of the government’s test and trace programme in England) and apply across the UK with ‘relevant notifications’ including those given by the devolved public health authorities.