Had an update from Stroma (so presumably the NAPIT advice will be the same):
The Government announcement on Monday 23rd March 2020 where Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated "people should only leave their homes to go to work where it is absolutely necessary" has since developed and we would like to provide clarity to our members on the recent government updates since this as detailed below.
We are closely following the government guidelines and will be providing you with regular updates on how COVID-19 will affect you and your business. Please be aware of the advice shared on other platforms, particularly social media at this time and be rest assured that we will be keeping you up to date with the most current government information availa
The current guidance as of today does appear to be to go out and work if you can’t work from home, and if that work is in a customer’s property take great care over social distancing.
The government has released information on "work carried out in people homes", see below:
Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms.
Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a 2 metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety. See guidance on social distancing here
No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.
No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.
Visit the government website here for details |
It's went from "people should only leave their homes to go to work where it is absolutely necessary" (Boris' speech, transcripts available in various places) to "people should only leave their homes to go to work where this absolutely cannot be done at home" (written guidance from .gov.uk released a few minutes later). If you view the transcript of the speech and the written guidance side by side, they are identical in pretty much all respects apart from this one.
Basically, in his address to the nation, he fluffed his lines.
Whether he did this on purpose, with the best of intentions, just to try to get as many people off the streets (and tube) as possible, I don't know.
I love(!) the way there's still some ambiguity. So if the person(s) in the house is/are in isolation, or in a category where they are shielded from exposure due to underlying health conditions, there are only very limited circumstances you can (if willing) enter their home to do work ("to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household"). But they draw a distinction between this situation, and "tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance." So if the first example is clearly an emergency, then what is the second?
Stroma, as you can imagine, are entirely quiet on this regard. They state (above):
"The current guidance as of today does appear to be to go out and work if you can’t work from home, and if that work is in a customer’s property take great care over social distancing."
So they (Stroma) make no distinction on the type of work you're doing (except, of course, for work in the houses of those self-isolating or shielded), they present the government words and leave those difficult decisions up to us.
I'm sure more and more details and more nuanced advice will come out in the days that follow.
For now, I'm pausing (as I have the luxury of enough savings to do so). I've posted the following on my website and facebook page:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
We're all trying to keep others safe, and to stay safe ourselves.
(1) Electricity can be dangerous, but is also essential. If you need work doing urgently during the COVID-19 period, get in touch. I will undertake essential work, and take precautions (social distancing, wipe-down etc).
(2) Electricity can be dangerous: do not try fixing things, or changing things, yourself. "Simple jobs" can escalate to emergencies, or result in putting yourself and others at risk, if you don't have the right test gear, experience, knowledge, and a box of random electrical bits and bobs.
(3) If you're thinking of getting some work done, I'll be very happy to discuss with you and advise, with a view to booking you in once this all blows over.
Stay safe, folks