Cabinet Office: Coronavirus

(asked on 3rd February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2021 to Question 107597 on Government Departments: Coronavirus, what additional guidance issued to staff in his Department in relation to managing the risk of covid-19 in the workplace was in force on 20 May 2020.


Answered by
Michael Ellis Portrait
Michael Ellis
This question was answered on 8th February 2022

Throughout the pandemic, Cabinet Office has followed Government guidance on ensuring safety in the workplace. The Cabinet Office has aligned with cross-government guidance issued centrally by Civil Service HR.

On 20 May 2020, in line with the Government’s advice on unnecessary travel, the Cabinet Office default position was for employees to work from home where practical. Employees who were fit for work and required to be in the workplace were advised to follow the guidance on handwashing and respiratory hygiene, the relevant social distancing measures and government/transport provider guidance on safe travel on public transport.


Some operational and specialist teams were identified as essential roles, for which remote or home working may not have been an option for some or all of their working time. Cabinet Office advised that these teams should make sensible arrangements to protect employees, for example, rotas and staggered start and finish times to avoid busy commuting times on public transport. Where possible, business units were asked to ensure that they put arrangements in place to allow employees to adhere to social distancing guidance whilst in the workplace.

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