Fears have been raised over the impact of the Omicron variant on staffing levels across Norfolk's public services, even as police and local councils insisted they had robust plans in place.
Government ministers have been told that several sectors can expect mass staff absences over the coming weeks, particularly as Covid cases surge.
Unison Norfolk branch secretary Jonathan Dunning said: “Certainly our fear is that we will see increased sickness levels where there is regular contact with a variety of people - and the most obvious area is schools.”
He also warned of “the potentially devastating impact in social care”.
Despite the government’s advice encouraging people to work from home, Mr Dunning said he was concerned about some employers “not taking an enlightened approach”, and continuing to request that their employees come in.
Presenteeism - in which staff continue to come into work even though they are ill - continues to be a problem across industries, he added, because statutory sick pay in the UK remained “one of the worst in Europe”.
Nationally, fears have been raised about the impact the Omicron surge could have on the emergency services.
A Norfolk police spokesman said: “Whilst the impact of the new variant is being experienced within the constabulary as it is across the whole of Norfolk, sickness levels among officers and staff are monitored continually and the constabulary has well-developed plans to manage any increase in these levels.
“Planning for and responding to emergencies is our daily business and this planning ensures we can continue to deliver our core services while responding to urgent calls and protecting people from harm.”
Norfolk’s local authorities meanwhile insisted that they too had rigorous plans in place and were operating their services as normal, with staff working from home where appropriate.
North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) decided however to cancel their December full council meeting until January.
An NNDC spokeswoman said: “It is felt that with the increasing number of cases locally and the increasing spread of the Omicron variant nationally, it is best to avoid such a large gathering in one space and to postpone the meeting until the new year.”
Breckland District Council (BDC) had planned to host a full council meeting in person on December 9, but announced on December 8 that it was postponed, partly due to “speakers on a substantive item being unavailable at short notice”.
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