I'm self-isolating but won't get paid

"It's quite hard, even after two days. Cabin fever sets in, and not knowing whether you'll start to get symptoms is stressful." Alex, who is on a work placement with an ecological consultancy, is self-isolating after a trip to Tenerife, even though it will leave him out of pocket. He was on the north of the island when reports started to come out about the coronavirus being detected in a Tenerife hotel. Although Alex, and the people he was with, had not been to the hotel, they felt there was a possibility they could have come into contact with someone who had. So when they got home, they decided to keep themselves apart from everyone else for at least two weeks. Eight charts on how coronavirus has hit the global economy Will I get paid if I self-isolate? IAG and EasyJet warn of coronavirus bookings hit Coronavirus: Shares face worst week since global financial crisis Alex, who is studying natural sciences at Nottingham University, is on a work placement at an ecological consultancy. He is missing out on about £600 of pay by self-isolating. That is quite a chunk of money for Alex, who has to save up, for example, to pay rent. "I'm lucky - my work are on board with it," he says. "I'm losing out massively. I don't earn a lot of money. It's going to bring me very close to financial difficulties." Alex is currently staying at his parents' house, but he says: "I want to go home and see my partner."