It is a job that has been of Ecuadorian origin for five years, after moving to the UK from Spain in 2013 while looking for work. CNN does not reveal Anna’s real name, as she fears the repercussions of her employer.
Anna’s businesswoman insisted she would continue to clean the building during the pandemic, but the hours were reduced from five to four. He earns £ 10.75 ($ 14.77) an hour.
“I was forced to go to work in a non-essential building,” he told CNN. “There’s no one at work, I’m alone.”
Last month Anna took Covid-19. She’s not sure where she picked it up, but she said it was probably “on the bus or on the subway.” She lives in south London in a shared house and says that at first the virus left her exhausted.
“I had cough, fever, fatigue … and dizziness,” he said. “And I [am taking a long time to recover] because this disease is very painful [and] horrible. “
But after staying home for a few days while recovering from the illness, Anna decided to go to work as she was only being paid a partial salary.
UK government regulations state that while recovering from Covid-19, patients will self-isolate for at least 10 full days.
“I just felt tired and [had] “That’s why I went to work; I couldn’t afford to stay home either because I was paid very little.
“I feel guilty for going to work and infecting more people, [but] I had no choice. “
“These figures are moving a lot,” Harding told a parliamentary committee this week, adding that “approximately 20,000 people a day” are not currently being isolated. Harding said she was also concerned about people who had symptoms but had avoided getting tested.
For the British government, non-compliance is a major concern.
“My biggest concern is … people who feel bad but don’t show up for tests,” Harding said.
A popular stereotype paints lock switches as young, irreverent people who insist on attending parties at home and meeting friends.
“There’s so much emphasis on people not breaking the rules, but most follow the rules,” says Muge Cevik, a clinical professor of infectious diseases and medical virology at St. Louis University. Andrews in Scotland.
His paper points to a successful model of testing and care in San Francisco, which helped people isolate themselves by ensuring the delivery of goods home, among other measures. A similar scheme in New York, which allowed people to choose to isolate themselves in hotels, also stands out in the praise of the article.
“In most hospitalizations, what we’re seeing is that most infections are among key workers,” Cevik told CNN.
“We are seeing huge outbreaks in warehouses, meat packing factories, nursing homes … the only thing that combines these sectors are the low-paid workers, who are likely to live in houses with a lot of people.”
In September 2020, the UK government launched a new package to support those who isolated themselves. Those with lower incomes who have to stay at home can qualify for a £ 500 payment if they have lost pay. The penalty for those who breached the blockades also increased, with those now caught facing fines of £ 1,000 ($ 1,370).
“This new payment of £ 500 in support and evidence to ensure that those on low incomes can self-isolate without worrying about their finances,” the UK government said in a statement in September.
Harding acknowledged during his appearance on the committee that the lack of financial support was one of the reasons people failed to isolate themselves.
Cevik and colleagues believe more needs to be done, including the possibility of isolating themselves in self-contained accommodation in homes with lots of people to curb the spread of the virus.
“If someone has tested positive, [then] at the time of testing, we might be asking them: do you have room to insulate? And do you have medical leave? », Diu.
“These [resources] must come as a package: income relief, sick leave [and] accommodation required “.
Anna says “of course” she would have stayed home if they had given her more support.
“I would have stayed home from day one,” he told CNN. “I felt bad, but … low-wage workers had no choice.”
“I don’t blame desperate people and [make that choice to work]says Yaseen Aslam, president of the ACDU, a union representing private hire and courier drivers in Britain.
“I know a driver who had to be isolated four times in two months, how does that work?” Aslam told CNN.
“The problem is that, at the moment, drivers earn £ 35 or £ 50 a day,” he adds. “The £ 500 [payment], yes, it’s okay, but drivers are desperate.
“And when you’re in a desperate situation, you take risks. People choose between their lives and it’s just there.”
Uber, among other companies, has piloted a plan to help protect drivers and passengers by installing partitions in 400 cars, as suggested by government guidelines. The pilot scheme was done in partnership with the engine assistance group, the AA, via Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham, in the north of England. But out of the plan, drivers have to decide if they pay to install the screens.
But a driver, who asked not to be named because he feared his employer’s pay, said he and his colleagues did not install the screens because they simply could not afford it.
“This is a pandemic,” said the man, who says he works as a driver in London. “It won’t last forever, why should I put it on if it doesn’t last forever?”
Aslam also works with the International Alliance of Application-Based Transportation Workers, an organization that brings together private hiring drivers around the world.
“I work with drivers in France, Amsterdam, San Francisco [and so on,]”He said.” We are seeing these problems all over the world. But no one is trying to help us. “
The beginning of 2021 has been marked throughout Europe with an outburst of frustration against the closures, with protests in Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands. The Dutch demonstrations lasted a few nights in late January and turned violent.
Protesters against the blockade have also taken to the streets in the UK, mostly in multiple demonstrations in November 2020. Dozens of people have been arrested during the marches, in which some protesters have shared conspiracy theories about Covid-19.
“If people feel vulnerable, they will comply with the blocking rules,” Pamela Briggs, a professor of applied psychology at Northumbria University, told CNN. “For those who feel less vulnerable, compliance becomes more a matter of civic duty.
“If you want to make sacrifices, you have to believe that they will be effective,” he adds. “The problem comes when people can’t understand why they’re being asked to do these things … if people feel that the rules don’t make sense, they’re more likely to challenge them.”
Briggs believes people should believe that their sacrifice to stay home is worth the personal cost. The three UK closures have helped, to varying degrees, curb rising cases.
“We could make people feel that their sacrifices are having a real effect,” Briggs said.
“There are ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of the blockade and more should be done.”
A year after the Covid crisis, the UK government continues to use closures as a last resort. There is good news on the horizon: cases are starting to dwindle and the country’s vaccine launch has been highly praised. What officials now face is the challenge of helping people stay at home, in the face of overwhelming mental and financial fatigue.