BUSINESS leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have welcomed new exemptions for self-isolation for critical workers, but say more needs to be done to avoid crippling staff shortages across industry.
The Government has released a list of 16 sectors where full vaccinated workers will be exempt from isolation if they are told to quarantine if they have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19, including energy, digital infrastructure and food production.
Sean Rose, policy officer at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It was clear that we couldn’t carry on with the current system as hundreds of thousands of people were being pinged, forcing them into isolation.
“Therefore, the new exemptions are welcome but the Government must now turn its attention to other areas of the economy that are vital in helping keeping the country running, such as construction.”
Hannah Essex, co-executive director of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Pilot schemes for ‘test to release’ options have been running for some time now and we would urge the government to immediately bring forward the results of those test schemes and set out how this could be used to enable more double vaccinated people to avoid self-isolation beyond this narrow group of critical workers.”
