Sam Ogunnoiki, who works as a security
guard at Stout Security Ltd headquartered
in Cornwall, UK, has been told not to go to
work over fears he may have Ebola after
visiting Nigeria.
guard at Stout Security Ltd headquartered
in Cornwall, UK, has been told not to go to
work over fears he may have Ebola after
visiting Nigeria.
The 46 year old British citizen, faces a
three-week quarantine from his employers
who told him that he needs to get the all-
clear from a British doctor before he can
go back to work. Below is the letter (in
full) his direct boss sent to him
"I have spoken to you and expressed my
very deep concerns about your trip to
Nigeria. Several members of staff have
now voiced their concerns about the
possibility of your carrying the Ebola virus
back with you and have made it very
clear that they are extremely reluctant to
work with you on your return." Continue...
One member of staff has even written a
clear and concise letter stating the
concerns of your work colleagues. In this
case I have to support their concerns
especially as I have already voiced them
personally to you. In order to allay any
fears that you are a carrier for this deadly
virus I feel I cannot allow you to return to
work until you have been back in the
United Kingdom for three weeks, which is
the incubation period. I must also request
that you visit your doctor on your return
and get a clean bill of health before you
can start work with us. I am very sorry
about this Sam but everyone works in
close proximity together and I have to put
the concerns of the majority first.’
Sam, who said he's on a zero-hours
contract now worries about not being
paid. He said:
‘Nigeria does not have Ebola but he said I
have to be cleared. There is this stigma
surrounding me now – it’s just ignorance
and a nightmare because I cannot work.
I’m a British citizen. There is no
justification for this at all.’
The boss who sent the letter, Mr Mannell,
later defended his position saying:
‘I did send Sam a letter saying anyone
returning from any African countries for
safety reasons cannot work for three
weeks afterwards. I know Nigeria is
Ebola-free but I don’t know where he’s
travelled. My problem is that Pendennis
[shipyard], which I have a contract with,
sent me an email saying they cannot have
anyone working there that’s been in
contact with Sam."
Source: Metro UK
