A total of 65 MPs have signed a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to recognise long-Covid as an occupational disease.
And they have said workers who are suffering after overcoming the virus should be given compensation.
It is thought that more than 390,000 people in the UK have been left with symptoms such as muscle ache and fatigue after beating the initial stages of Covid. Some people also suffer brain fog and breathlessness months after contracting coronavirus.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who chairs a committee of MPs looking into coronavirus said patients suffering from long Covid are finding it “close to impossible” to return to work.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme she that many key workers have dragged themselves to work in spite of being ill with long Covid – and they should be offered compensation
She said: “It is entirely right to protect their livelihoods.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said long Covid and the impact it has on people should be a “clear reminder to everyone” that we need to follow the rules.
The spokesperson said: “We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of our health and social care staff throughout the pandemic and it is important that staff are treated fairly, and employers make full use of the existing sick pay provisions on offer to support staff.
“We are continuing to work with our outstanding scientists to improve our collective understanding of the impact long Covid has on people of all ages – making sure we deliver the best support possible to affected individuals.”
The Government had previously announced that it would be investing £18.5m into four studies looking at the longer term effects of Covid.
In November the NHS also announced that it would be launching 43 mini-hospitals to treat up to half a million sufferers.