{"id":21057,"date":"2021-01-30T11:14:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-30T11:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=477881"},"modified":"2021-01-30T11:14:29","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T11:14:29","slug":"offices-are-hotspots-for-coronavirus-outbreaks-but-workers-suffer-more-than-bosses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/30\/offices-are-hotspots-for-coronavirus-outbreaks-but-workers-suffer-more-than-bosses\/","title":{"rendered":"Offices are hotspots for coronavirus outbreaks, but workers suffer more than bosses"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Public Health England (PHE) data seen<\/a> by the BBC<\/em> indicates that offices are the highest risk workplaces for coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreaks. The news comes after the DVLA head admitted<\/a> to the Transport Select Committee that she had barely been into work since September. Her staff, who had still been going in, reportedly suffered from an outbreak with 535 cases in the same period.<\/p>\n

The 5 Live<\/em> investigations team acquired<\/a> the data through a Freedom of Information request. The data suggests that there have been<\/a>:<\/p>\n

more than 500 outbreaks, or suspected outbreaks, in offices in the second half of 2020 – more than in supermarkets, construction sites, warehouses, restaurants and cafes combined<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was also reported<\/a> that, between 6 and 14 January, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has received nearly 4,000 complaints about unsafe working practices related to coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Concerned workers<\/h5>\n

Several concerned workers spoke to the BBC<\/em> anonymously.<\/p>\n

One worker at a firm in Bristol said<\/a> that his office still used hot-desking and shared toilets and kept windows closed. He contracted coronavirus in January and passed it on to his partner.<\/p>\n

As Twitter users highlighted, this leads to questions as to why employers haven’t been letting people work from home:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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So 500 outbreaks\/suspect covid outbreaks have been linked to offices! Why tf have employers been forcing staff into work during a pandemic when they could have been working from home? Exploitative employers are scum.<\/p>\n

— hate zine (@hatezine) January 29, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n