Teachers are warned DON’T travel abroad at the end of the summer holidays or face losing pay if they are put into quarantine during term time
- School staff are unable to work from home and could face taking unpaid leave
- The UK has removed Spain from its list of safe countries after second wave fears
- Employers do not have to pay while you are in self-isolation, lawyers have said
Teachers have been warned not to travel abroad at the end of the summer holidays or face potentially losing pay if they are put into quarantine during term time.
Like many key workers, school staff are unable to work from home and face taking unpaid leave if they get caught up in the newly-modified quarantine rules.
All school in England are due to return in September despite an ongoing battle between unions and the government over safety measures including whether pupils should wear masks.
The Department of Education says that schools should ‘avoid a member of staff having to quarantine during term time’ meaning teachers who are planning foreign holiday towards the ends of the summer holidays risk being told not to go.
The government has warned that there is ‘no risk free travel’ and quarantine restrictions can be introduced with no notice on any country.
The UK has removed Spain from its list of safe countries to travel to after fears were raised that the European country was experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Unhappy Brits have been returning from the popular tourist destination and will now have to enter in a 14-day quarantine.
British Citizens arrive at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport after the UK imposed a quarantine on all travellers from Spain
Currently employers do not have to pay while you are in self-isolation and you are not eligible for statutory sick pay.
It has led to growing calls from the government to provide additional support to people who have been caught out by the sudden change in rules. People who are self-employed or can’t work from home will lose two weeks wages.
Headteachers are also quizzing teaching staff on their plans for the holiday break.
The Department of Education has warned there is a possible risk to overseas travel while teachers are enjoying their holiday break.
It added: ‘Where it is not possible to avoid staff having to quarantine during term time, school leaders should consider if it is possible to temporarily amend working arrangements to enable them to work from home.’
A joint letter from the Association of School and College Leaders, the NAHT union for head teachers and the Local Government Association, said anyone who found themselves in long-term quarantine may have to take annual leave or unpaid leave.
A passenger arrives at Gatwick Airport, following an announcement on Saturday that holidaymakers who had not returned from Spain and its islands by midnight would be forced to quarantine for 14 days
Joanne Jackson was one of many unhappy Britons returning from their holiday break yesterday to find work now disrupted.
The 49-year-old had just returned from a two-week break in Nerja and said she has now lost £2,000 in wages due to the quarantine.
The care worker from Manchester said: ‘It is a ridiculous decision and disgraceful one. Everyone abroad should have been given two weeks’ notice, not just a few hours.
‘Thanks to the Government, I have lost £2,000 in wages. Who is going to pay my wages? Who is going to pay my mortgage and bills? What will I do for money?
‘Where I have been staying, the infection rate is zero. The government should make people who are returning from high-risk areas quarantine, and not put a blanket-ban on the whole of Spain.
‘I am absolutely livid that I now have to quarantine. I’ll be back over in Spain soon. It won’t stop me flying.’