Staff shortages across the public sector due to Covid have led to bin collections being cancelled
across the country as the government prepares for a quarter of the workforce to be absent.

Councils in Manchester, Essex, Somerset, and Buckinghamshire have reduced or suspended waste
collection as a result of staff being sick with Covid-19 or being stuck in isolation.

Chelmsford City Council reported that 23 members of staff are currently absent, and that three days’
worth of food waste collections have been cancelled, while 1,000 recycling bins in North Somerset
were not collected.

It comes after the government asked public-sector leaders to prepare for a worst-case scenario in
which up to a quarter of employees are absent as the coronavirus spreads across the country.
Ed Argar, Minister for Health, said asking leaders to make contingency plans was “the responsible
and sensible thing”.

He argued, however, that clinical and scientific advice had advised against reducing self-isolation
from seven to five days to combat absences, as critics had demanded.

Staff absence is also being exacerbated by shortages of lateral flow devices (LFDs) and PCR tests,
which have been reported across the country in the last week. While recent rule changes allow
people to leave self-isolation on days six and seven if they take a test and get a negative result, they
must stay in isolation until day ten if they are unable to take a test.

The government is expected to announce plans this week to prioritise all public sector key workers
for LFDs. It comes after The Telegraph revealed last Friday that ministers were considering allowing
nurses, lorry drivers, and government officials to bypass the testing queue.

Millions of workers in the NHS, education and childcare, national and local government, prisons,
transportation, national security, and funeral service sectors, as well as utilities and food distribution
workers, will have preferential access to the tests under the approved blueprint.

It remains to be seen whether individuals will be required to provide proof of their profession or if
access will be granted based on honesty.

According to the Cabinet Office, omicron-related disruption has been contained in “most parts of the
public sector” so far. However, it was stated that leaders had been asked to test plans against 10%, 20%, and 25% workforce absence rates.

Asked on whether he thought such absence levels were likely to occur, Mr Argar told Times Radio: “I
think we model a range of scenarios up to things we think are highly unlikely, but you still do it
because that’s what a responsible Government does in preparing for all eventualities.”

It comes as the public continues to struggle to obtain rapid tests, exacerbating staff absences
because they are unable to end isolation early unless two negative tests are obtained.

According to figures obtained by The Sunday Times, nearly one-tenth of NHS employees were absent on New Year’s Eve.