Three in ten people in Britain have lied about contracting Covid so they can take time off from work.

A study by flexible workspace experts Office Freedom found almost a third of all those asked admitted they faked testing positive for the virus.

The news comes on the fifth anniversary (February 21st) of the first positive test of coronavirus in the UK, with the country then entering lockdown weeks later in March 2020.

Asked if they had ever used covid as a reason to call in sick having not tested positive, 29.3% admitted they had – with 69.3% claiming never to have faked it.

Men were the biggest culprits, with 34% admitting to the lie with just a quarter of females saying they had pulled the wool over the eyes of employers.

The nation’s electricians appear to have been the worst offenders, with 80% saying they had pulled off the trick, just ahead of those working in advertising/media (77%) and estate agents (75%).

One in ten said they had used the excuse of a fake COVID-19 illness more than once, giving a glimpse into how workers are willing to use any reason to escape work.

Have you ever used Covid as a reason to call in sick when you hadn’t tested positive?

Yes: 29.3%
No: 69.3%
More than once: 10.7%

Top five professions who faked positive Covid test to take a sickie
Electrician: 80%
Advertising/media: 77%
Estate agent: 75%
Broadcasters: 69%
Bank worker: 60%
The survey also revealed that cold/flu is the most common excuse given by people calling in sick, just ahead of nausea/vomiting, migraines and period pain.

Top 5 go-to reasons for calling in sick
Cold/flu: 15.4%
Nausea/vomiting: 12.21%
Migraine: 7.5%
Family emergency: 7.4%
Period pain: 3.5%