The risk that the casualty is infectious should be low because being at work, they are without symptoms and are not in the category of people asked to self-isolate because they are at high risk of being infectious.

First aiders are trained in hygiene to protect against the risk of other diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.

Even nurses and doctors do not wear full haz-mat suits whenever they are treating patients, so there is no case for a first aider to do so.  

There is a risk, but it is not all that high.

Giving a one-off treatment to someone who needs it to save life or limb is very different from crowds of people milling around for no important purpose and coughing on each other.

I wouldn't hesitate to help someone who was ill or injured either because they might have an infectious disease that in a fit and healthy first aider is only likely to have mild consequences, or because there is an outside chance that I am infectious when they need help urgently.

After all the whole point of the current restrictiopns is to preserve life, which is also the primary aim of first aid.

I might ask them to put a plaster on for themselves though.

Originally Posted by: meady

Surely, unless they are in full haz-mat suits they cannot achieve this safely and therefore EVERY non-essential employer should close.

Why just the non-essential?

What is so special and different about the first aiders that work for "essential" industries that they can provide FAAW without Haz-Mat?

This forum is showing some serious Covid-19 side effects that seem to remotely switch off common sense.