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30 April 2020updated 04 Sep 2021 12:55pm

Survey reveals Covid-19 fears of key workers

By Samuel Horti

They get the applause and thank yous, but how well are key workers dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic? The vast majority of key workers (85 per cent) say that they are worried about the effect coronavirus has on their lives, a survey released today by the Office for National Statistics reveals.

The most pressing for key workers is the effect Covid-19 has on their job, with six out of ten respondents saying their work has been impacted.

Of those people, four in ten are concerned about their health and safety at work, which is more than double the proportion of the general population.

Key workers were also struggling with having to work longer hours and taking reduced breaks.

Despite schools still being open to children of key workers, the majority of those children stayed home over the past week. One in three key workers didn’t send their children to school because they had alternative care available, while 29 per cent kept children at home over concerns for their health and well-being.

Finally, key workers were more likely to feel like we’re in this together: 85.6 per cent of them said they feel like people are helping each other more, compared to 80 per cent in the general population.

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