People who are able work from home have this morning been advised to do so, in a change to the Government's call in July for more staff to return to COVID Secure workplaces. In a response to the recent rise in the number of coronavirus cases, the move is part of plan to avert "more serious action" later.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning, Michael Gove said: "There are some people who cannot work from home....and if your job requires it you should absolutely be in that workplace... If people can work from home, they should."

He said the UK was not revisiting a similar approach to the initial, country-wide lockdown, despite the expectation of new, wider restrictions -- mostly in the hospitality sector -- later today.

More detail when the Prime Minister addresses the Commons at 12:30, and later this evening in a televised address.

Cases in the UK continue to rise, with 4,368 reported in the last 24 hours. Relative to that rise in cases, the number of deaths was low at 12.

We think the focus for businesses should be on maintaining technological flexibility, and resilience within the workforce, as -- whether or not you support Mr Johnson and his party -- what may be described as a series of U-turns is now a part of the new normal as the risk level rises and falls.

Finally, employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as for any other worker. Advice for employers looking to protect staff in the homeworking environment can be found on the Health & Safety Executive's dedicated page here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/workers/home.htm?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=coronavirus&utm_content=homeworkers

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