This is a job that the Ecuadorian performed for five years, after moving from Spain to the UK in 2013 while looking for work. CNN does not disclose Anna’s real name because she fears consequences from her employer.
Anna’s employer insisted that she clean the building during the pandemic, but reduced her hours from five a day to four. She earns £ 10.75 ($ 14.77) per hour.
“I was forced to work in an important building,” she told CNN. “There’s no one at work, I’m alone.”
Last month, Anna caught up with Covid-19. She is not sure where she went to pick it up, but said it was probably in the bus or on the subway. She lives in south London in a shared house and says the virus left her exhausted at first.
“I have a lot of cough, fever, fatigue … and dizziness,” she 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 when she recovered from the illness, Anna decided to go to work as she received only partial payment.
According to UK government rules, patients must be isolated for at least ten full days during their recovery from Covid-19.
‘I just felt tired and [had] a headache, “she said. That’s why I went to work – I also could not afford to stay at home, because I received very little salary.
“I feel guilty that I went to work and infected more people, [but] I had no other option. ‘
“These numbers are moving a lot,” Harding told a parliamentary committee this week, adding that “about 20,000 people a day” are not currently isolated. Harding said she is also concerned about people experiencing symptoms but avoiding being tested.
For the British government, the lack of compliance is a major concern.
“My biggest concern is … the people who feel sick but do not come forward to test at all,” Harding said.
One popular stereotype depicts shutters as young and reverent people who insist on attending house parties and meeting friends.
“There’s so much emphasis on people not breaking the rules, but the majority actually follow the rules,” said Muge Cevik, a clinical lecturer in infectious diseases and medical virology at the University of St. Louis. Andrews in Scotland.
Their paper points to a successful test-and-care model in San Francisco, which has helped people isolate by ensuring, among other things, delivery of goods. A similar scheme in New York, which allows people to choose to isolate themselves in hotels, is also praised in the article.
“In most hospitalizations, we see that most infections are among key workers,” Cevik told CNN.
“We’re seeing huge outbreaks in warehouses, meat packaging plants, care homes … the only thing combining these sectors are low-paid workers who are likely to live in busy homes.”
In September 2020, the British government introduced a new package to support those in self-isolation. Earnings that have a lower income to stay at home may be eligible for a payment of £ 500 if they lose the payment. Penalties for violating locks have also increased, with those caught now facing fines of £ 1,000 ($ 1,370).
“This new £ 500 test and trace support will ensure that those on low incomes can isolate themselves without worrying about their finances,” the British government said in a statement in September.
Harding admitted during her appearance to the committee that lack of financial support was one of the reasons why people could not isolate.
Cevik and her colleagues believe that more needs to be done, including those in overcrowded homes that offer the chance to isolate themselves in separate accommodation to limit the spread of the virus.
“If someone has tested positive, [then] at the time of the test we can ask them: do you have room to insulate? And do you get sick leave? ” She says.
‘This [resources] must come as a package – income relief, sick leave [and] accommodation is required. “
Anna says she would have “naturally” stayed home if she had received more support.
“I would have stayed home from day one,” she told CNN. “I felt bad, but … low-wage workers had no choice.”
‘I do not blame people who are desperate, and [make that choice to work], “said Yaseen Aslam, president of the ACDU, a trade union representing private rental and courier managers in Britain.
‘I know a driver who had to retire four times in two months. How does it work? ‘ Aslam told CNN.
“The problem is that drivers currently earn £ 35 or £ 50 a day,” he adds. “The £ 500 [payment], yes, that’s good, but the drivers are desperate.
“And if you’re in a desperate situation, you take risks. People choose between their lives and are just out there.”
Uber, among other companies, has taken a step to protect drivers and passengers by installing partitions in 400 cars, as proposed by government guidelines. The pilot program was done in partnership with the AA, across Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham, in the north of England. But outside of the scheme, drivers have to decide to pay to install the screens.
But one driver, who asked not to be named because he was afraid of retaliation from his employer, said he and his peers did not install the screens because they simply could not afford them.
“It’s a pandemic,” said the man, who says he works as a manager in London. “It’s not going to last forever – why should I put it in if it’s not going to last forever?”
Aslam also works with the International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers, an organization that brings together private rental managers worldwide.
‘I work with managers in France, Amsterdam, San Francisco [and so on,]”he said.” We see these problems around the world. But no one is trying to help us. ‘
Early in 2021, Europe is marked by an eruption of frustration with lock-ins, with protest rallies in Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands. The Dutch protests lasted a few nights at the end of January and became violent.
Anti-lockdown protesters also took to the streets in the UK, particularly in several protests in November 2020. Dozens of people were arrested during the marches, in which some protesters shared conspiracy theories about Covid-19.
“If people feel vulnerable, they will abide by the closure 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’re going to make sacrifices, you have to believe that it will be effective,” she adds. “The problem comes when people can not understand why they are asked to do these things … if people feel that the rules do not make sense, they will challenge them more.”
Briggs believes people should believe that their sacrifice to stay home is worth the personal cost. The UK’s three exclusions have helped to curb rising rates to varying degrees.
“We can make people feel that their sacrifices have an effect,” Briggs said.
“There are ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of lockdown, and more needs to be done.”
One year after the Covid crisis, the British government continues to use barriers as a last resort. Some good news is waiting on the horizon – cases are starting to decline and the country’s vaccination of vaccines is widely praised. What officials now face is the challenge of helping people stay at home amid overwhelming mental and financial fatigue.