Company doctors urge businesses to prepare for fall Covid-19 wave
There is a “real” chance of another peak in coronavirus infections in the fall, and it is therefore essential that companies make preparations to guarantee the continuity of work. Occupational health and safety services ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare issued this warning. They noticed that absenteeism at companies had already increased significantly last month.
In June, absenteeism went from 4.3 to 4.4 percent, according to the organizations. The number of absenteeism reports linked to the coronavirus increased sharply. One in four employees who called in sick due to the coronavirus suspected that they got the virus at work. According to Jurriaan Penders, company doctor and director of medical affairs at HumanCapitalCare, the increase in absenteeism is almost entirely due to the coronavirus peak in June.
According to the latest figures from the RIVM, the number of new coronavirus cases is now decreasing again. The summer wave has weakened to the level at the end of June. But Penders stressed that it remains to be seen how the number of coronavirus infections - and with it, the related absenteeism - will develop further during the summer and especially afterward.
“It is important to discuss the coronavirus, the necessary measures, and what that means for employees right now,” he said. “Therefore, keep the basic rules in mind, like washing hands, giving each other space, and ensuring sufficient fresh air. Do you have symptoms? Then you stay home and do a self-test. After a negative self-test, you can go to work. Also working from home, those who can, help to prevent contamination in the workplace.”
ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare are both part of HumanTotalCare. Together they work with over 63,000 employers, which together employ about 1 million people.
