UK workers need to show letter or face fine during coronavirus outbreak? Fact Check

A message is spreading, predominantly in the UK, that claims people need a letter “from tomorrow” from their employer to prove they are a key worker else they will be fined by the police if found out of their house.

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An example as it appears on social media can be seen below.

A heads up for all you key workers someone I work with was stopped by the police this morning asking why she was out and what she was doing she had a uniform on and id badge and rota and was told it’s not enough from tomorrow you will be fined if stoped and you don’t have a latter that explains why you are out and the reasons why….. id and uniform doesn’t count..
So all you key workers you need a letter-to travel to and from work
Take care out there and stay safe

What’s true?
Many businesses have provided their employees with letters explaining that they are key workers. Such letters can help with things like priority shopping (if the worker is an NHS employee, for example,) childcare access and can be shown to police if required to help prove the person is travelling to work. There have been incidents where police have asked for such a letter (or other forms of proof) for example if the police suspect a person is being untruthful in order to avoid a fine.

What’s false?
At the time of writing, there is no nationwide requirement for people to have with them a letter from their employer in order to leave the house. Many businesses employing key workers have not provided such letters. Additionally, many UK residents are still able to leave the house to perform tasks unrelated to work (such as exercise and food shopping) and many UK residents will not have an employer (self-employed, retired, furloughed workers etc.) It is likely that in almost all cases, an ID, uniform and rota would be more than sufficient to the police, and if not, there would be other methods of proving employment than a letter. If a letter does become a requirement for key workers, this would likely be announced by the UK Government.

The message above appears to be trying to address various cases where police have challenged UK residents to demonstrate that they are a key worker. This may be done, for example, if the police suspect someone is being untruthful in order to avoid a fine. In such cases, a letter from an employer would help expedite that process and help a person demonstrate that they are a key worker. This is why many businesses have provided their employees with such letters.

However, while conveying this, the message above has made some incorrect statements or implications.

Firstly, the message could be easily interpreted to make it seems like it is claiming that a letter from your employer is required to leave your house, else face a fine. This would be inaccurate since most people would not have such a letter since they are either not employed or not designated a key worker.

And since these people are (at the time of writing) allowed to leave their houses for things like exercise and food shopping, a letter from an employer could not feasibly be required for UK residents to leave their house.

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Secondly, the letter states that a letter will be required, “from tomorrow”, for key workers to prove they are in fact key workers. Again this would be untrue. It is true that a letter from an employer – one for example that includes contact information for the employer – could help police confirm a person is telling the truth and this is why many companies have issued such letters.

However the claim that failing to provide a letter will automatically lead to a fine is not true, and if such a measure was accurate, this would be outlined on the UK Government webpage detailing restrictions and measures concerning the coronavirus. It is likely that in most cases, other forms of evidence would be accepted by the police to show a person is a key worker, such as ID badges or simply a phone call to the employer.

To summarise, while a letter may help key workers show that they are key workers, and while in isolated incidents the police may request people obtain such a letter if possible, there is no nationwide scheme in place that failure to provide such a letter will automatically lead to a fine.