“Almost one in five countries (17%) say they are undertaking partial re-opening of workplaces, businesses and community spaces, raising serious concerns about preparations to protect workers from Covid-19 as they return to work.

The global trade union movement is calling on governments and occupational health and safety bodies around the world to recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease. At the ILO, the ITUC is campaigning for a new standard on biological hazards and for Occupational Health and Safety to be included as fundamental right.

Workers need official recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease and for governments to require reporting and recording of work-related cases, as well as compensation schemes and medical care for victims for work-related Covid-19 and for their bereaved families.

Just one in five (21%) countries would rate the measures that are in place to protect workers from the spread of the virus at work as good. Most (54% or 58 countries) would rate these protections as fair. Twenty-six countries (24%) would rate the protections as poor.”