York Council staff told to work at home for winter

Staff at City of York Council's headquarters have been told to work from home until January

A council has decided to ask staff to work from home over the winter months due to concerns over NHS pressures.

City of York Council staff who need to continue to go to work at its West Offices headquarters should wear a face covering, the authority said.

Sharon Stoltz, York's director of public health, said the decision was prompted over concerns about cold and flu and not just Covid-19 rates.

She said the work-at-home requirement would be in place until January 2022.

York has recorded a drop in Covid-19 infection rates in the latest seven-day period.

Its coronavirus infection rate for the seven days to 7 November was 368.2 cases per 100,000 people, compared with a rate of 442.6 cases per 100,000 in the previous seven-day period.

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However, Ms Stoltz told the Local Democracy Reporting Service while national restrictions were not currently in place, the pandemic was not over.

"We are still seeing high levels of Covid-19 circulating in our communities. 

"As we head into the winter months, there are also concerns about colds and flu and severe weather conditions that can put additional pressure on the NHS and on our council services."

She said the guidance to staff included simple infection control measures and was aimed at keeping people safe over the winter months.

"These simple measures can reduce the risk of staff illness, avoid extra pressures on our NHS and help us to continue to provide essential services to residents," she added.