UK Government Seeks To Mitigate Workforce Disruption From Omicron

  • The British Government has asked public sector managers to test their contingency plans against a worst-case scenario of 25% staff absence as part of efforts to minimize disruption from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. 
  • With daily infection numbers at a record high and people who test positive required to self-isolate for at least seven days, the Government expects businesses and public services to face disruption in the coming weeks, it said in a statement. 
  • "So far, disruption caused by Omicron has been controlled in most parts of the public sector, but public sector leaders have been asked to test plans against worst-case scenarios of workforce absence of 10%, 20% and 25%," it said. 
  • This latest development by the U.K is an indication that governments may have to tighten up their stringency measures in order to curb the spread of the new Omicron variant. In the local context of Jamaica, the Government will likely revisit its guidelines as it relates to mandatory work from home restriction if cases continue to surge.

(Source: Reuters and NCBCM Research)