Employers may only hire workers with coronavirus antibodies in future – and Brits might TRY to catch virus, experts fear

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Data from the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) released today showed that some boffins were worried people hiring might try to discriminate Brits.

Scientists are still working on a reliable antibody test to show if someone has had the virus

Britain still does not have an antibody kit that works which shows whether someone has had Covid-19 or not.

But experts are getting closer and think one could be on the cards in just a few weeks’ time.

It will look at antibodies in a person’s blood, which develop after someone has had the disease.

It is still too early to tell whether someone will be protected against another infection in future, scientists think.

SAGE documents revealed today said plans “might include not permitting those testing Antibody Negative to return to work, or only taking on new staff with Antibody Positive test results.

“Work may also be allocated among employees based on test status with, for example, customer-facing work being allocated to those who have tested Antibody Positive.

“In some circumstances this may be appropriate, but in others this might constitute adverse discrimination.”

Boris Johnson has previously said that an antibody test could be a “game changer”.

Ministers also said they may consider immunity passports or immunity documents if they find a test that works – and it’s proven that they are now immune from the bug.

A huge raft of documents from SAGE released earlier today also revealed:

  • A traffic-light system may be on the cards to help Brits with what they can and can’t do when the lockdown is lifted
  • A lockdown could lead to “community tensions” and the poor will be worst off
  • Compliance with the lockdown will only stay high if Brits think there is still a high risk, and people still feel able to shield themselves without being too bored, isolated or losing their jobs
  • Experts initially considered a London lockdown but the virus was already spreading quickly in other areas such as the Midlands
  • The number of confirmed cases of Covid 19 in China at the start of February was estimated to be at least 10 times higher than the number reported
  • It was “a realistic probability” that there was already sustained transmission in the UK by February 10
  • Experts felt that Brits be told to stop hugging and shaking hands on the same day that Boris Johnson said he had shaken hands with Covid patients at a hospital

At the moment the Equalities Act 2010 prohibits employers from discriminating against workers or potential employees on the basis of race, sex, age, sexual orientation, or whether omeone is pregnant.

However, it doesn’t involve health matters.

Legislation could be updated to guarantee protection that antibodies can’t be used in future to discriminate workers.

The SAGE advice also said it was likely that there would be a handful of false positive or false negative tests.

That could mean people go out thinking they are protected, or stay in thinking they are not.

Brits may also try and “game the system” by trying to catch the virus so they can go out or back to work, the experts feared.

“If a test result is a requirement for a resumption of work, a range of strategies to ‘game’ the system may arise,” they said.

“These include people deliberately seeking out infection or attempting to purchase a fake test result, commercial organisations selling unapproved tests, or approved tests becoming available through private organisations at prices that make them unavailable to most.”