Dr Carina Tyrrell discusses her work on coronavirus health app

Key workers are the essential frontline team working on the frontline of the country’s coronavirus response. These jobs are deemed vital to public health and safety, as well as the function of society. Only these workers are able to continue working in their typical work environments as their roles are considered too important not to do so. Express.co.uk explains who exactly is a key worker and lists all the jobs which qualify as critical workers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson implemented a lockdown in the UK on Monday.

People in England must now stay at home unless they are meet one of the following essential reasons to leave their homes:

• To shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
• To go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
• To exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
• To meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
• To seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
• To attend education or childcare – for those eligible.
• To attend communal religious worship.
• To undertake activities related to moving house.

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On January 4, Mr Johnson said: “I want to say to everyone right across the United Kingdom that I know how tough this is, I know how frustrated you are, I know that you have had more than enough of Government guidance about defeating this virus. But now more than ever, we must pull together.”

The PM added: “The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we are entering the last phase of the struggle.

“Because with every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people.

“And, thanks to the miracle of science, not only is the end in sight and we know exactly how we will get there.

“But for now, I am afraid, you must once again stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”

Under the new rules, only those who are unable to work from home should attend workplaces.

All schools are closed across England, however, the children of key workers are permitted to attend school.

Mr Johnson said these measures will likely remain in effect until the top four priority groups are vaccinated.

The Prime Minister said: “By the middle of February if things go well and with a fair wind in our sails, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the four top priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

“That means vaccinating all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, everyone over the age of 70, all frontline health and social care workers, and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

“If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus.

“And of course, that will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions we have endured for so long.”

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The Government guidance reads: “You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.

“Where people cannot work from home – including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing – they should continue to travel to their workplace.

“This is essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers.

“Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.

“Where it is necessary for you to work in other people’s homes – for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople – you can do so.

“Otherwise, you should avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where COVID-19 Secure measures may not be in place.”

Who is a key worker?

The Government has identified a list of critical workers who may still travel to work provided they cannot work from home.

These key workers are those whose work is deemed critical to the COVID-19 response.

The list has been separated into the following eight categories:

• Health and social care
• Education and childcare
• Key public services
• Local and national government
• Food and other necessary goods
• Public safety and national security
• Transport
• Utilities, communication and financial services.

The specific jobs under each category are as follows:

• Health and social care: Doctors, nurses, midwives, pandemics, social workers, care workers, frontline health and social care staff and volunteers, support and specialist staff, those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
• Education and childcare: Childcare, support and teaching staff, social workers, specialist education professionals.
• Key public services: Justice system essential staff, religious staff, charity workers, workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased and journalists and broadcasters involved in public service broadcasting.
• Local and national Government: Administrative jobs essential to the Covid-19 pandemic and essential payment services such as the payment of benefits and the certification or checking of goods for import and export including Government agencies and arms-length bodies.
• Food and other necessary goods: Those involved with food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods.
• Public safety and national security: Police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel, fire and rescue service employees, National Crime Agency staff and those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
• Transport and border: Air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport mode workers including those involved with the supply chain, construction and supporting the operation of critical transport and border infrastructure through which supply chains pass.
• Utilities, communication and financial services: Staff needed for essential financial services provision; oil, gas, electricity and water sector workers, IT and data infrastructure sector workers, primary industry workers, key staff involved in civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications; postal services and delivery; payment providers and waste disposal sector workers.

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