Citizens Advice Scotland updates advice during coronavirus crisis
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Citizens Advice Scotland has updated its guidance for people living in the Highlands during the coronavirus pandemic.
It has said that at in a time where many people will be worried about the pandemic and its financial impact there are practical steps that can be taken to manage day-to-day life.
Coronavius
There are things you can do to help you avoid getting coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. There are also things you can do to stop the virus spreading if you think you have it.
Read the latest advice about symptoms and social distancing on the NHS inform website.
Advice in British Sign Language and Easy Read format are available on the NHS inform website.
Check if something is a scam
Make sure you only use trusted sources of information about coronavirus.
If you see emails about coronavirus from someone you don't know, don't click on any links or buy anything.
Don’t give money or personal details to anyone you don’t know or trust – for example, if someone knocks on your door and offers to help.
Check if something is a scam, here.
Staying home
The government has said you must stay at home. They'll review this situation in mid-April. You can only go out for essential things like:
- shopping for basic things, for example food and medicine – this must be as infrequent as possible
- one type of exercise a day, for example a run, walk or bike ride – this can be alone or with members of your household
- any medical need or to provide care or help a vulnerable person
- travelling to and from work – but only if your work can absolutely not be done from home
- The police have new powers to enforce these rules. If you’re outside without a good reason, the police can make you go home. If you refuse to go home, the police can fine you.
Find out what action the Scottish government is taking on Covid-19, by visiting its website.
Coronavirus information for young people is available on the Young Scot website.
NHS inform helpline for general health information
If you don't have symptoms of Covid-19 but want general information, phone the free NHS inform helpline on 0800 028 2816. The helpline is open every day from 8am to 10pm.
If you’re an overseas visitor getting NHS treatment
If you're an overseas visitor to Scotland, you won't have to pay NHS charges for the diagnosis or treatment of coronavirus. This is regardless of your residency status.
You can read guidance about healthcare for overseas visitors on the NHS inform website.
If you’re extremely vulnerable because of a medical condition
You’re "extremely vulnerable" if there’s a high risk you’ll get severely ill from coronavirus – for example, if you have severe asthma or cancer.
NHS Scotland will contact you with advice on how to avoid coming into contact with coronavirus. This is called "shielding". You should:
- stay at home
- avoid all non-essential contact with other people in your household.
- You should follow this advice for at least the next 12 weeks.
Read more about shielding on NHS inform.
If you're struggling to pay your bills
Find out what help you can get if you're struggling to pay your bills. This includes things like your rent, mortgage or energy bills.
You might be able to claim benefits or get more money if you’re already getting benefits. This includes any statutory sick pay your employer might give you.
Check what benefits you might be able to get.
Going to work
The government has said you should only go to work if your work can "absolutely not be done from home".
If your place of work has shut down or there’s no work for you because of coronavirus, you can carry on getting paid.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Your employer can use the government Coronavirus Job Retention scheme to pay you while there’s no work to do.
If your employer has told you not to work, you might be able to keep getting paid. You should check if your employer can pay 80 per cent of your wages and claim it back from the government.
If your employer says you’re being ‘furloughed’
This means your employer is using the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme. You’re still employed by your employer while you’re not working - this is called being a "furloughed worker".
If you need money while you’re waiting for your employer to pay you, you can:
- check what benefits you can get
- check if you can get help with your bills
- If you’re not sure your employer will pay you through the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme
You’ll still be entitled to be paid under the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme - your employer might have used different words when they told you not to work. What you do next depends on what your employer told you.
Your employer might have told you:
- you were being laid off - this means you’re still employed but you’re suspended without pay because there’s no work for you
- you were being made redundant - this means you’re no longer employed because there’s no work for you
- just to go home because there was no work or pay for you
- Some employers wrongly use the term "laid off" when they mean they’re making you redundant.
If you’re not sure, check with your employer whether you’re still employed or if you were made redundant. If you were made redundant, there are some extra steps.
If you’re still employed
Ask your employer whether they’re using the scheme to keep paying you. You should also remind them they can backdate your pay to 1 March 2020. If they say no, ask them to give you the reason in writing and contact your nearest Citizens Advice.
If you were made redundant
You’ll need to challenge your redundancy before your employer can pay you using the scheme.
Write to your employer saying you’re appealing against your dismissal, and say it’s because:
now that the government has announced the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme, they can afford to pay you, so making you redundant wasn’t necessary
the scheme means they can reverse your redundancy, treat you as a ‘furloughed worker’, and pay you
If your employer says they won’t pay you under the scheme or won’t reverse your redundancy, you should ask them to give you their reasons in writing. You should also contact your nearest Citizens Advice as soon as possible.
If you need money while you’re waiting for your employer to pay you
You can check what benefits you can get, or check if you can get help with your bills.
If you’re off sick
You can get an "isolation note" online to prove to your employer you need to stay off work. You can get an isolation note on the NHS website.
If you’re worried about going to work because of coronavirus
If you don’t go to work, your employer usually doesn’t have to pay you. They might decide to dismiss you from your job. You can challenge the decision to dismiss you if you think it wasn’t fair – check if your dismissal was unfair.
If you’re worried about getting coronavirus at work, ask your employer if you can:
- work from home
- change how you work so you have less contact with other people
- change your working hours so you don’t have to travel when it’s busy
- Your employer should do what they can to keep you safe from coronavirus.
If you’re pregnant, your employer has to make sure it’s safe for you to keep working. This is called doing a risk assessment – ask your employer if they’ve done this. If the risk assessment shows your work’s not safe, check what changes your employer could make.
If you’re disabled, your employer might have to make changes to your work to help you do your job. For example, they might let you work from home or change how you work. This is called making reasonable adjustments – check how to ask your employer to make reasonable adjustments.
If you’re still employed
Ask your employer whether they’re using the scheme to keep paying you. You should also remind them they can backdate your pay to 1 March 2020. If they say no, ask them to give you the reason in writing and contact your nearest Citizens Advice.
If you're self-employed and need financial support
You may be eligible for support from the UK government's Self-employment Income Support Scheme.
If you've got less money because of coronavirus
You might be able to claim benefits or get more money if you’re already getting benefits. This includes any "statutory sick pay" your employer might give you.
If you're claiming benefits
The government has postponed all face-to-face benefits assessments or appointments at Jobcentre Plus until at least June 19.
This means you don’t have to go to:
- interviews if you’re starting a claim for JSA, ESA or Universal Credit
- medical assessments for ESA, Universal Credit or PIP
- appointments with your work coach
- Jobcentre Plus might still ask to talk to you by phone.
You can still go to the Jobcentre Plus – for example if you want to hand in a form.
If you’re ill or you’re following guidance to self-isolate
Don’t go to the Jobcentre Plus. Tell the Jobcentre Plus you’re ill or self-isolating by:
- calling the office paying your benefit
- updating your online journal if you get Universal Credit
- You won’t have to search for work or do work-related activity.
If you can’t pay your rent
You should explain the situation to your landlord straight away – they might give you more time to pay.
You still need to pay your rent. If you’ve fallen behind with your rent, you should start dealing with rent arrears. You can also check if you can get extra financial help.
If your landlord doesn’t offer to be flexible with your rent payments, it’s a good idea to pay as much as you can afford and keep a record of what you discussed.
You should also contact your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau – an adviser can help you explain things to your landlord.
If you can't leave the house to pay your rent
Ask your landlord if you can pay your rent in a different way, like an online transfer. If this isn’t possible, you could try to find a friend or family member you trust to go and pay the rent for you.
Make sure you get a receipt, in case your landlord doesn’t realise you’ve already paid.
If you're worried about being evicted
Unless you live with your landlord, they can't evict you without following the correct legal procedure in either the sheriff court or the First-tier Tribunal, depending on the type of tenancy you have. If they change the locks or try to make you leave without a court or tribunal order, this is illegal.
The Scottish Government has asked landlords to be flexible and not to evict people who are struggling financially because of coronavirus. The Scottish Government is going to change the law to make it harder for private landlords to evict people who are behind with their rent. Social landlords such as local authorities and housing associations have agreed not to evict people because of financial hardship caused by coronavirus.
The First-tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber) has postponed all hearings and case management discussions. The tribunal will contact you if you've been affected by this. Find out more on the First-tier Tribunal website.
Find out more about how housing is affected by coronavirus on the Shelter Scotland website.
School closures in Scotland
Most schools and nurseries in Scotland are closed but the Scottish Government has asked local councils to make special arrangements for childcare if:
- you’re a ‘key worker’ – your job keeps an important service running, like the NHS or police
- your child is considered vulnerable – for example, if they get free school meals or have additional support needs.
There's more detail about who's a key worker on the Scottish Government website, but the arrangements for your area will be made by your local council in the coming days.
You might not qualify for special childcare arrangements if you're a key worker but your child's other parent isn't.
Check your local council's website for its coronavirus response. The council might also contact you directly. Find your local council on mygov.scot
Speak to your employer if you need to take time off work to look after your children. Read more about taking time off work to look after a dependant on GOV.UK.
SQA exams in Scotland
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) exams in Scotland won't go ahead in 2020. Schools and colleges will contact learners with more information.
The government has asked schools and colleges to make arrangements for S4-S6 pupils to complete coursework or prelims remotely, if possible. They will not be allowed to attend school or another educational setting to do this.
You should also check the Scottish Qualifications Authority website for updates.
If you're planning on travelling abroad
Government advice is not to travel right now unless you really have to – you can read more about if you have to travel on GOV.UK.
If you really have to travel abroad you should check up-to-date travel guidance on GOV.UK. It'll tell you which countries you shouldn't go to because of coronavirus. You should also contact your insurer and make sure you’re covered to travel – get the details of your cover in writing.
If you already have a holiday booked it’s worth checking guidance from your travel agent, airline or other holiday provider. You might be able to rebook your holiday and go later in the year.
If you need to cancel your holiday because you’re ill or you’re following government advice, get in touch with your travel insurer to see if you’re covered for cancelling.
You can also find out what to do if your package holiday is cancelled.
If you need more help, you can get advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau. You can also get advice from Consumer Advice Scotland.
Advice for businesses in Scotland
Most businesses and premises in the UK have been ordered to close. You can find a list of which businesses are allowed to stay open on GOV.UK.
Check the Find Business Support website for the latest from the Scottish Government.
You can also call the Scottish Government helpline on 0300 303 0660. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Find details about support for businesses from the UK government, including the HMRC Job Retention Scheme, on GOV.UK.
Advice for employers and employees affected by Covid-19 is available on the ACAS website.
