24 September 2020

New COVID-19 restrictions for businesses

New COVID-19 restrictions for businesses

The content of this article is courtesy of the Business and Economy newsletter from Dorset Council.

A series of new restrictions to try to stop the spread of coronavirus in England have been announced by the Prime Minister and are applicable from today, 24 September 2020.

 

 


Those of specific relevance to businesses are as follows:

  • People should work from home wherever possible
  • Businesses selling food or drink, social clubs and other indoor leisure facilities, funfairs, theme parks, adventure parks and activities, and bingo halls must be closed between 10pm and 5am. This includes takeaways but delivery services can continue after 10pm
  • Pubs, bars and restaurants will be restricted to table service only (for groups of up to six), except for takeaways
  • Face masks are now compulsory for bar staff and non-seated customers, shop workers, waiters, staff in close contact services and also for customers in private hire vehicles or taxis (existing exemptions continue to apply)
  • Fines for not wearing masks or following the rules have been increased to £200 for a first offence. Businesses must remind people to wear face coverings where mandated
  • Employers must not knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work

Note that Covid-secure guidelines will now become legal obligations and businesses can be fined up to £10,000 for repeated breaches.

Please review full details of the Government’s latest announcements
 

Businesses collecting NHS Test and Trace data must also display a QR poster from today, 24 September


From 18 September, the Government made it a legal requirement for certain businesses (see list below) to have a system in place to collect NHS Test and Trace data and keep this for 21 days. The data logged should include at least one name (a group’s ‘lead’ member), contact number, date of visit and arrival and, where possible, departure time.

From today, 24 September, when the NHS Covid-19 app becomes available, it will also be a legal requirement for the same venues to display an NHS Test and Trace QR poster, which enables visitors with the app to check in at that location.

The venues affected include those in the following sectors:

  • hospitality
  • leisure and tourism
  • close contact services (such as salons)
  • places of worship
  • local authority venues (such as Libraries, Registration Offices, Leisure Centres and Town and Village Halls)

More information about the announcement 

Further Q&As and details of the venues affected 

Further information on how the Covid-19 app and the QR code poster works 

You can create and download your customised QR code poster

If you have a venue outside of these mandatory categories that is visited by members of the public and has a space where people congregate, the Government would still encourage you to create a QR code poster for the entrance to that venue.

If your business or venue falls into one of the categories that should provide a customer log, and a visitor uses the NHS QR code to check in, they do not need to provide their contact details by any other route. However, a manual option for recording visitor contact details must also be available for those who do not have or do not wish to use the app.

From 18 September, regulations also came into force to ensure that hospitality businesses comply with the rule of six and maintain social distancing between customers. It is an offence for a business to fail to adhere to this when taking a booking, to allow entry to a group of more than six people or to fail to advise groups not to merge in ways that breach the rules. Business will also need to ensure adequate distance between tables (2m or 1m+) and prevent customers from dancing.

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