‘The health and safety of workers remains paramount.’

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have issued an unprecedented joint call for employers to ensure safe working conditions for their staff during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Their statement, made last week, says that if companies remain open they must take practical steps to minimise the threat of workers being exposed to the virus wherever possible – including enabling social distancing.