Legal ruling | Court says worker's Long Covid IS a disability - what could it mean for your firm?

A worker is believed to be the first in the UK to successfully argue that his Long Covid should be treated as a disability.

According to the Daily Mail, caretaker Terence Burke has been given permission to sue his former employer, charity Turning Point Scotland, for disability discrimination after he was sacked over his long-term absence.

An employment judge heard that Burke had suffered ‘substantial and long-term’ side-effects after catching Covid in November 2020, which rendered him so exhausted he was unable to complete simple household chores. He was fired from his job, which he has held since 2001, after being off sick for around nine months as a result of his illness.

Why HR should take note of the ruling

Long Covid is the term given to symptoms of the Coronavirus which last weeks, months and now even years after the initial infection. Although much is still unknown about the condition, symptoms include extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, depression and anxiety,