More and more countries are opening their borders, making holidays abroad easier again. Yet travel is not as carefree as it was before the corona pandemic. For example, there are still risk areas and you sometimes have to quarantine. If you can work from home, that shouldn't be a big problem. But what if you can't: can your employer stop your salary?
Wage during quarantine
If you go on holiday now, you consciously take the risk that quarantine is mandatory when you return home – even if your travel destination still receives a positive travel advice before departure. That is why continued payment of wages during your quarantine is not a matter of course. If you have to quarantine and you can work from home, you must do this and you will be entitled to your wages. But can't you work from home? In that case you are in principle not entitled to wages. However, you can discuss agreements with your employer, for example about taking leave hours or holidays: then you will continue to receive your wages.
Quarantine after visiting a risk area
In some cases, the government advises or obliges you to go into quarantine every ten days after returning from your holiday. This depends on the travel advice for your holiday destination: does the government estimate that you are at risk in a certain country or area? Then it gives this region the orange or red color code, with which a negative travel advice applies. Are you coming back from an orange or red area? Then you go into quarantine for ten days. This means:
- no one comes to visit
- you're not going anywhere
- you let others do the shopping for you - only if this is really not possible and you have no health problems, can you do this yourself
- you work from home if possible
On day 5 you can take a corona test at the GGD. Is it negative? Then your quarantine is over.
Advice: be honest and clear
As we mentioned earlier: you don't have to tell your employer where you are going on holiday. However, we advise you to let us know if you have been to a risk area. Your employer is responsible for the safety of you and your colleagues. If there is a chance that you have been infected during your holiday, it is safer for your colleagues if you do not come to work. Your employer cannot force you to follow the quarantine advice. He may, however, deny you access to the workplace.
More information
Is your employer threatening to stop your continued payment of wages? Contact our legal experts directly! We are available every working day from 8.00 to 18.00 via sc@unie.nl and 0345 851 963.
