Covid-19: support centre

Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.

Coronavirus (COVID‑19) is spreading fast. 1 in 3 people who have the virus have no symptoms, so you could be spreading it without knowing it.

It is still possible to catch and spread COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated.

Remember: ‘Hands. Face. Space. Fresh Air’

• hands – wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day
• face – wear a face covering when it's hard to stay away from other people - particularly indoors or in crowded places
• space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)
• fresh air - you are much safer outdoors as fresh air blows away COVID-19 particles - open doors and windows to let in fresh air if meeting people inside

Read the latest government guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread.

• Get the latest on any recent and upcoming changes.
  

Covid-19 can cause a wide range of symptoms; however, these are the three main symptoms recognised by the NHS:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Approximately 1 in 3 people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it.

Additional symptoms that people may experience are:

• fatigue
• muscle aches & all over body aches
• headache
• nasal congestion
• shortness of breath
• loss of appetite
• sore throat
• running nose
• diarrhoea
• nausea
• vomiting

What to do if you have symptoms

• Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus
  
• Stay at home and do not have visitors (self-isolate) until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test. Check if people you live with need to self-isolate. 
• You will be advised by NHS when to end your isolation which may vary across the UK and may take into account your vaccination status, whether you're ill or are a contact of someone who has tested positive, and which strain of the virus you've tested for. This guidance may change over time so it's important you review the medical advice in operation at the time.
  

If you need medical advice

Get help at:

• England: NHS 111 online coronavirus service
• Scotland: NHS inform
• Wales: NHS 111 Wales
• Northern Ireland: get advice from a GP or GP out-of-hours service

Call 111 if you cannot get help online. 

Get a free PCR test

Self-isolation is when you do not leave your home because you have or might have coronavirus (COVID-19).This helps stop the virus spreading to other people.

You must self-isolate immediately if:

• you experience any symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste)
• you've tested positive for coronavirus (regardless of whether you're experiencing symptoms or not)
• someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive (unless you are not required to self-isolate – check if this applies to you)
• you've been told to self-isolate following contact with someone who tested positive – find out what to do if you're told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app

You may also need to quarantine or self-isolate when you arrive in England from abroad and may be required to test in the days following your arrival before you can return to your day-to-day life. Check the quarantine rules when entering England or Scotland or Wales

Check the latest government guidance Need an isolation certificate?

There are different tests you can get to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19). The test you need depends on why you're getting tested.

The 2 main tests are:

• PCR tests – mainly for people with symptoms, they're sent to a lab to be checked
• Rapid lateral flow tests – only for people who do not have symptoms, they give a quick result using a device similar to a pregnancy test

Both tests are free.

If you have coronavirus symptoms

Get a PCR test as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms, even if mild:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

Stay at home until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.

Regular tests if you do not have symptoms

Anyone in England can now get regular rapid lateral flow tests without having symptoms.

About 1 in 3 people with coronavirus do not have symptoms but can still infect others. Getting regular tests is the only way to know if you have the virus.

If people test positive and self-isolate, it helps stop the virus spreading.

Even if you’re vaccinated, there’s still a chance you can pass COVID-19 on, so you should keep getting tested regularly.

Other reasons to get tested

Confirming a previous test result

Get a PCR test as soon as possible if:

• you've done a rapid lateral flow test and had a positive result or your test sample could not be read (void result)
• you had a PCR test and your test sample could not be read

If you have symptoms, stay at home until you get the result of the 2nd test.

Get a free PCR test Get regular rapid coronavirus tests

We keep members up to date through our regular communications, including all the latest changes and support we've been providing through the pandemic.
 
  View our covid-19 updates

Keeping you healthy and safe at work is a top priority and never more important as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We carry out joint health & safety inspections and have supported special covid-19 risk assessments too. 

We've created an online learning suite for our reps to help them in undertaking these assessments. 

If there are aspects of your workplace environment that concern you, or if you are worried for your safety, please call our helpline on 0118 934 1808. We have a team of officers ready, willing, and able to advise and support you. We continue to have regular meetings with employers to ensure safety remains top priority.

Visit our health & safety rep training

We keep members up to date through our regular communications, but if you have an urgent issue, please call our helpline on 0118 934 1808. We have a team of officers ready, willing, and able to advise you.

We've also produced some guidance on homeworking.

Read the statement published by the Financial Conduct Authority on support for frontline bank workers (published 28/01/2021)

External sources of support

• ACAS has published advice on coronavirus and the workplace
• The TUC has a page dedicated to protecting workers during the coronavirus pandemic - including campaigns, guidance and resources for union reps
• NHS have guidance on symptoms, when to isolate, testing and when to get medical support + much more
  
• Members in Lloyds Banking Group can call the Employee Assistance Programme for a wide range of support on 0800 9700 100
• Members in TSB can call the Employee Assistance Programme for counselling, support and guidance on 0800 085 6348
• If you’re feeling stressed or anxious about your situation, take a look at the Bank Workers Charity (BWC) support guides. Or, you can call them on 0800 0234 834
• Maternity Action has released FAQs detailing employment rights during pregnancy and maternity leave in these critical times. These cover benefits and help to pay rent and bills, maternity pay and benefits for self-employed women and health and safety adjustments at work during pregnancy
  

Read our covid-19 updates Review our guidance

For some people, coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or "long COVID".

Long Covid is an issue of concern for the union movement as ONS data has revealed that 1 in 5 people who’ve tested positively for Covid-19 have had symptoms that have lasted for 5 weeks or longer and that 1 in 10 have had symptoms for 12 weeks or longer. 

• As many as 800,000 people could have Long Covid
• We know Long Covid impacts on the lives of working people & want to know more

Long Covid, or post-Covid-19 syndrome is the lasting symptoms that people feel or have after the infection has gone. The lasting symptoms can include:

• Brain fog or problems with memory or concentration making day-to-day life difficult.
• Fatigue and exhaustion, which may also be exacerbated by difficulty sleeping
• Joint and/or muscle pain, or pins and needles and tingling
• Reduced vision and / or hearing
• Shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness
• And many other potential symptoms

You can find more information on the long-term impacts of Covid-19 on the NHS website. We've also got more specific guidance on long covid in our help centre.

Find out about long covid support