Companies can be fined if they demand their staff show up to work when they should be at home, the Health Secretary has said.
Matt Hancock told MPs new guidance for employers will be published today - including that staff should stay two metres apart.
And when Shadow Health Minister Jonathan Ashworth asked if bosses could face fines if they insist staff show up when they could work from home, Hancock said they would.
“Absolutely, those fines are available if that is absolutely necessary,” the Health Secretary said.
On Monday night, the Prime Minister told all but essential businesses to close immediately to help curb the spiralling pandemic.
But even people working in jobs that are classed as essential have also been recommended to work from home wherever possible.
This news means that bosses that won't let staff stay home can face action.
Hancock said: "Our instructions are simple. Stay at home.
"Employers should be taking every possible step to make sure that remote working can happen."
He added: "I want to be clear that where people absolutely cannot work from home, they can still go to work. Indeed it’s important that they do to keep the country running.
"Key workers, for example in the NHS, social care, pharmacists, medicine supply chain, should go to work unless they are self-isolating due to symptoms.
"We’ll be publishing guidance later today to explain steps that employers must take to ensure that employees are safe, including making sure there is a two metre gap between workers wherever possible."
