I have been on furlough, though I never applied as I thought I didn't qualify. My work is sort of part time freelance in that I get offered short contracts and can accept them or not.
A couple of companies I usually do work for simply started paying furlough money into my account. Ironically the company I do the most work for wrote saying I didn't qualify, possibly because I was out of the country in January and February but that is irrelevant to my question.
I am no longer in receipt of furlough pay and a very limited number of jobs are currently on offer but I am loathe to apply. It is customer facing work and I have been told I have to wear a mask for 8 hours a day which I will find exceedingly stressful. If I don't apply for these jobs someone else will do, so the companies won't be left in the lurch.
Am I being unreasonable to now retire? Is it unethical to have accepted the government money then decide not to return to work?
Wondering about a robot vacuum.