Paid quarantine for Asda staff at risk from SARS

Asda staff returning from SARS-infected countries, such as China and
Vietnam, will enjoy an extra 10 days paid leave to ensure the virus does not
spread across the company’s UKstores.

The WalMart-owned retailer originally said that staff planning to visit SARS
countries, or returning from holidays there, would face an unpaid quarantine
period.

The firm, which employs about 120,000 staff in the UK, said the measure was
precautionary and so far nobody had been forced to stay away from work.

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A spokesman for Asda said it did recall some staff from the Far East after
the World Health Organisation released its warnings on the disease, but they
have since returned to work.

"We had a small number of staff in the Far East that have now gone back
to work in the UK, after 10 days paid leave," he said.