Everyone must stay at home, and may leave only for a limited set of reasons, which include:
- For education;
- For work, if you cannot work from home;
- For exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household, support bubble or on your own with one person from another household;
- For all medical reasons, appointments and to escape injury or harm;
- To shop for food and essentials;
- And to provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer.
To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close or restrict how they provide goods and services. These include:
- Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services
- Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (before 10pm; and not including alcohol), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery
- Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites. Except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where they cannot return home, for homeless people, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes
- Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, golf courses, fitness and dance studios, climbing walls, archery, driving, and shooting ranges
- Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, soft play centres and areas, circuses, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks, theme parks. Indoor attractions at botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open
- Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. It is also prohibited to provide these services in other peoples’ homes
- Community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities as set out below Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services – for example for people who do not have it at home – and for click-and-collect
- Places of worship, apart from for the purposes of independent prayer, and service broadcasting and funerals
For more details see this tweet.
Businesses have been working hard to put in place measures to minimise the transmission of the virus in the workplace and HSE have been checking, visiting and inspecting businesses to ensure they are COVID-secure.
From mid-June to 3rd November, HSE conducted over 44,000 spot checks to businesses and organisations. Most businesses checked are following the COVID-secure workplace guidance and action has been taken where businesses have fallen short.
HSE’s programme of activity has shown that social distancing is the biggest issue facing businesses, followed by cleaning regimes and management arrangements. As we move into national restrictions, if your business is permitted to stay open then please ensure you follow COVID-secure guidelines.
The tracked link for this guidance can be found here: https://bit.ly/SaferWorkingnorth
HSE’s programme of activity has shown that social distancing is the biggest issue facing businesses, followed by cleaning regimes and management arrangements. As we move into national restrictions, if your business is permitted to stay open then please ensure you follow COVID-secure guidelines.
The tracked link for this guidance can be found here: https://bit.ly/SaferWorkingnorth
Business support
Business support information can be found at this tracked link: http://bit.ly/BizSupportGeneral
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, known as the furlough scheme
This scheme will remain open until December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500. The Job Support Scheme will not be introduced until after the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant Extension
The grant is being extended from 1 November 2020. The grant will be increased from the previously announced level of 40% of trading profits to 80% for November 2020.
Business Grants
Business premises forced to close in England due to local or national restrictions will be eligible for the following:
The application deadlines for the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Future Fund have been extended until 31 January 2021.
The grant is being extended from 1 November 2020. The grant will be increased from the previously announced level of 40% of trading profits to 80% for November 2020.
Business Grants
Business premises forced to close in England due to local or national restrictions will be eligible for the following:
- For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;
- For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;
- For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.
The application deadlines for the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Future Fund have been extended until 31 January 2021.
