Should I be Furloughed?

[TuffBoots]

Hi, I am a courier for a major express delivery company. I am 50 years old, 5 years ago I suffered several heart attacks which resulted in me having a quintuple bypass. I now suffer with coronary heart disease. I’ve not suffered any problems since though I do get a bit breathless when I’m running around. My job requires me to do around 100-110 stops per day and these could be anywhere but 90% are at residential addresses. I could also have to go in to health centres and hospitals. I can control my social distance most of the time but there are occasions throughout each day that I’m unable to control as I may be required to enter a premises to collect or sometimes customers will not have the same level of social distancing as me. I’ve not received any letter yet, maybe I won’t but I was wondering if I’m putting myself at risk continuing to work. My employer is aware of my health condition but is not a very caring employer and wouldn’t be to fussed if I dropped down with it. My family are very concerned that I am continuing to do my job and to be honest so am I as I lost my mum to the covid 19 last week and a work colleague also contracted the disease and passed away at the weekend. Please can someone give me some advice. I called my GP and they said if I was affected then I’d receive a letter but I haven’t but several of my conditions are on the list for high risk.

[Fredders]

Hi Tuffboots, so sorry to read you lost your mum and a work colleague to this awful virus.

You may get a text message and/or a letter very shortly. I’ve had heart surgery (AVR) and a splenectomy so I was expecting a letter and hadn’t had one, but today I got a text message to say a letter was on its way. It appears a lot of us are in the second wave of letters. From what I’ve read the NHS did the initial risk assessment and sent out the first lot of letters and have then requested information from GPs for details of at risk patients, which is why there is now a second wave of letters going out. If you don’t get a letter in the next few days I would check bract your GP.

I would also speak to your bosses to see if you can be furloughed.

Take care.

Wendy

[TuffBoots in reply to Fredders]

Thanks Wendy

[Nathan53]

Hi Tuffboots I'm so sorry you have lost your Mum to the Covid virus and on top of that the work pressures you are under.

I can't get my head around the Govt shielding advice as it mentions nothing of heart disease. I found the attached advice on a legal website lawatwork.co.uk/coronavirus. Have a look at the section headed 'sickness and self isolation'

The other option as you are under a lot of pressure is to have a period of sick leave but you would need to discuss this with your GP if you were going to be absent beyond the initial self certification period.

Take care

[Nathan53]

Not sure the link has attached will try again lawatwork.co.uk/coronavirus

[TuffBoots]

Thanks Nathan for both your replies

[stillaboveground]

So sorry you lost your Mum and colleague. You should be on bereavement leave any way, it sounds as though your GP has the same attitude as your employer, keep pushing your GP for clarity. Take care and keep safe.