Covid-19 and nannies - an update on isolation rules

For the avoidance of doubt, under the new government announcement on 22nd Sept 2020 moving back to level 4, nannies can still work. Nannies are unable to work from home, therefore are able to attend work as normal. 

 

• If you are a nanny employer, and anyone in your family shows Covid symptoms, you as a family must isolate for 14 days (or until the person showing symptoms has a negative test result). Your nanny should not work during this time and should be paid as normal. If she is a live-in nanny, or agrees to move in with you for the duration, she can isolate with you but does not have to. 

• If you are a nanny and show Covid symptoms, you should isolate for 14 days (or until you receive a negative result) and your employer must pay you statutory sick pay (they can choose to pay you in full but do not have to). SSP is reclaimed from the government. 

• If a school child comes into contact with someone who has Coronavirus, their entire bubble/class will be sent home to isolate for 14 days. The rest of the family does not have to isolate, so a nanny can still attend work as usual. However you should tailor your routine to ensure that child is not mixing and keep distance from that child, which may not be possible depending on their age so should be discussed with your employer. 

• If the child who came into contact with Covid then develops symptoms, they should get a test. The family should all isolate and the nanny should not work during this time, and should be paid in full. A negative result means the child continues to isolate as before until the original 14 days is up (but the rest of the family does not, and the nanny can work as above). A positive result means they must isolate for at least 10 days from onset of symptoms, and the rest of the household should self isolate for 14 days also. In this case, the nanny would not come to work and should be paid in full. You must also inform the school/nursery. 

• If anyone in the household is contacted through the track and trace app, and told to isolate for 14 days, the situation is as above – only the person contacted needs to isolate, not the rest of the household so discuss how this works with your employer. If the nanny is contacted, she should not attend work and is entitled to SSP only. 

• A nanny employer can claim SSP back from the government, up to 14 days. SSP is paid from day 1 at present (pre-covid, SSP is paid from day 4, with days 1-3 unpaid and the cost is not reclaimable. The law changed for Covid) 

 

To summarise, if the nanny is off through her own symptoms/suspected contact, she will receive SSP, which is paid from day 1 – day 14 and claimed back from the government. 

If any member of the family has symptoms, the nanny should not work and will be paid in full. This is not covered by the government. 

 

‘DfE guidance states that anyone who tests positive for coronavirus must self-isolate for at least ten days from the onset of their symptoms and can return to the setting 

If they still have a high temperature after ten days, they should keep self-isolating until their temperature returns to normal. If they have a cough or loss of sense of smell or taste after ten days, they can still return to the setting (this is because a cough or anosmia can last for several weeks once the infection has gone). Other members of their household should continue self-isolating for the full 14 days.’