Send them home immediately they present but also notify the employee by recorded delivery preferably before they attend work.  Any other action could well close the whole building and staff for 14 days

Our procedures applicable to to all staff say that if they go anywhere they must comply with government guidance when they return, and they do so at their risk - so if they have to isolate and can't work at home they'll need to take that period as leave too, though we have said they can take it as unpaid leave if they give sufficient notice.

We've also pointed out that the company-provided travel insurance doesn't cover covid-related claims, so anyone booking anything at this time is at risk.

We also have a couple of people who have family abroad where we've allowed them to go abroad and 'work from home' for two weeks over there before their holiday starts, because they need to isolate after arrival there and don't want to spend all their holiday isolating.  This depends on them being able to WFH wherever they are going, and all such cases are case-by-case approval.

Do you have to tell your employer where you are going on Holiday? One for the HR/Legal Team for me. And what are you going to do if they tell you and should be quaranteened? If you refuse to pay them (which ACAS says you can) will they tell you the truth?

Im sure i read an article saying the quaranteen checks were not being made as they should be on people returning to UK. (cannot find it now)

What a flipping mess - bit like the tweet at 10:00 last night about incrased restrictions in parts of North of England!

if that country is off the bridge list then we have a duty to protect the rest of us in the office. -

Dont disgree with you but while normaly most people are more than happy to tell you where they are going (often brag about it) what rights do we have as an employer if they refuse to tell us? So how do we manage to enforce this?- "You wont tell me where your going so you will take 2 weeks unpaid leave!" as i say Mess Mess Mess!

Very simple really to eliminate the risk you close the office.

Not approving holidays does not stop people travelling whilst off work "sick".

The virus itself is not sat waiting at an airport - it is everywhere.

Your staff will interact with others away from the office as do their households i.e. more infection routes beyond your control.

It also travels both ways https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/couple-who-holidayed-manchester-spark-18675644

Originally Posted by: craigroberts76

Originally Posted by: achrn

Our procedures applicable to to all staff say that if they go anywhere they must comply with government guidance when they return, and they do so at their risk - so if they have to isolate and can't work at home they'll need to take that period as leave too, though we have said they can take it as unpaid leave if they give sufficient notice.

So do you ask if they are going spain, italy france etc? people are trusted to isolate, but we know that that isnt always the case

No - there's no point.  We've told them they must isolate and not return to the office if the government guidance says they should do that.  If they disregard that instruction, then asking them where they went won't achieve anything because they'll likely just lie about where they went - 'yeah, two weeks in Swindon mate, lovely it was'.

Workplace procedures based upon false information is worse than doing nothing.

Again over the weekend many UK establishments identified as sources of outbreaks - where employees go on a foreign holiday is the least of anyones problems.

There really is something badly wrong with your posting setup Roundtuit - now not only is everything you say said twice, it seems that anyone who thanks you gets credited twice on each duplicate post, so that's four times too much. Have you tried to find out if it's you or the forum system?  Have you asked the forum bods if they know what casues it?

The request went to web help quite some time ago - they even ran some test postings under my user name in the social forum last week. To date I think we are with Toyah Wilcox "It's a mystery"

Looking at the regulation I am struggling to find reference that someone already in the isolation accomodation (your employee) must also isolate (in addition to the travelling family member) 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/568/regulation/4

We had a staff member return from a European country on the list, they where given paperwork at the airport stating they must self-isolate for 14 days it also said that the police may check up to ensure compliance.

 We have also had staff return from the same country by ferry and they received no paperwork in both instances they have been told to stay at home and they are receiving no pay for the self-isolation period, we then warn any one booking leave and planning to travel to a restricted country that they will also receive no pay for the isolation period, this is just so they are aware of the fact and not to discourage holidays from being booked.

Bit of a lack of self-control here, in my opinion. Do people really, really have to go abroad on holiday at the moment with all of the problems going on? Of course not. I wouldn't take the risk of going abroad this year; it's dodgy enough in the UK with the appearance of local lockdowns. But with the demob mentality that seems to prevail at the moment, people just don't have the sense to write off this year, and just can't wait to flock to anywhere, with the attitude that the crisis is over. It isn't.

OK so what do we do about a colleague who is Belgian and last week he went to back, with his family to meet his relatives for a few weeks. He has now been informed that when he returns he and his family will have to quarantine for 2 weeks. Should he be given the sack?  Should we only employ local people for local jobs, who stay local, talk local eat and be local?

As an EU citizen employed within the UK there are rights which will make dismissal or even docking salary during quarantine an interesting case at arbitration.

Originally Posted by: Roundtuit

As an EU citizen employed within the UK there are rights which will make dismissal or even docking salary during quarantine an interesting case at arbitration.

That has been much discussed on the various news web sites - you are not entitled to pay if quarantining due to returning from somewhere while not displaying symptoms.  Even ACAS (apparently) agrees with this interpretation, so I don't believe it wiull lead to any arbitration.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53545222