COVID-19 Updates

England to return to Plan A restrictions  

Published 19th January

In an address to Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that Plan B measures will not be renewed beyond the expiry date of 26th January 2022. From next Thursday, face coverings will no longer be a legal requirement, but will still be advised to be worn in indoor public spaces.

The current data shows that;

• 94,432 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• 36,546,583 people have received their booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
• Sadly, there were 221 Covid-19 related deaths recorded yesterday

The Prime Minister informed that England will be returning to Plan A restrictions and Plan B regulations will expire. From Thursday next week, mandatory certifications will end, however organisations will still be able to use the NHS covid certification voluntarily if they wish. Additionally, the government is no longer advising work from home and is encouraging discussions between employers and employees about returning to the office.

From next Thursday (27th January), face coverings in indoor public spaces will no longer be a legal requirement. The government will continue to recommend face coverings in indoor enclosed public spaces, however this will be up to the judgement of the public and can no longer be criminalised.

Plan A measures include the legal requirement to self-isolate upon receiving a positive covid-19 test result. Currently in England the self-isolation period is five full days provided a negative result is produced on day five and day six. The Prime Minister informed that when the self-isolation regulations expire on 24th March 2022, they are expected not be to renewed and the legal requirement to self-isolate will be removed.

Scotland to remove all Covid restrictions 

Published 19th January

The Scottish First Minister announced that from next Monday Scotland will remove all restrictions introduced prior to Christmas.

The current data shows that;

• 7,752 people in Scotland have tested positive for covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• There are currently 1,546 people in hospital with covid-19 and 59 in intensive care
• Sadly, there were 31 covid-19 related deaths reported in the last 24 hours

Nicola Sturgeon MSP, announced that Scotland will lift the protective measures enforced before Christmas on Monday. The restrictions removed will include limits on attendees at indoor events, physical distancing in indoor public spaces, the requirement for table service for hospitality venues serving alcohol and the closure of nightclubs. Additionally, also on Monday, the advice on limits for social gatherings will also be removed.

The First Minister informed that restrictions being removed is a result of the success of the booster programme, however it is important that restrictions are removed in a phased manner for the virus to be monitored. Therefore, the Minister also informed that the Scottish government will shortly begin working with businesses on how to return to work in a hybrid manner from February.

Change to Covid-19 self-isolation period

Published 17th January

The UK Government has announced that the self-isolation period for positive cases of Covid-19 will be reduced from seven days to five full days in England.

Self-isolation can now finish on after day five of isolation, provided that a negative test result is received on days five and six. The self-isolation period in Scotland is currently seven days from when symptoms show and seven days in Wales.

Welsh Government First Minister Mark Drakeford MS has also announced an easing of restrictions. From tomorrow, limits on attendees at outdoor events will be increasing, and as of next week limits on all outdoor activities will be removed. It is expected that the following week Wales will move to level 0 restrictions for both indoor and outdoor events, subject to case numbers continuing to decrease.
 

Changes to Covid-19 testing measures

Published 7th January

Changes to Covid-19 testing measures have been introduced to reduce demands for PCR testing.

Individuals returning a positive result on a lateral flow device no longer need to complete a PCR test and should instead immediately self-isolate. This has already come into effect in Scotland and Wales and will be in place in England from 11th January.

The Prime Minister also announced that workers in critical sectors, including those who work in critical national infrastructure, national security, transport, and food distribution and processing will be receiving lateral flow testing kits directly to their business or organisation from January 10th for every working day.

Businesses included in the scheme will be contacted directly by the government to receive their daily testing kits. No changes to restrictions have been announced in any UK nations.
 

Covid-19 restrictions update - England, Scotland & Wales

Published 5th January

The Prime Minister provided a covid-19 statement in parliament today on the changes to covid-19 testing regulations.

The Scottish First Minister updated that no new changes to covid-19 restrictions will be introduced, however the current restrictions will be in place for at least the next week. Nicola Sturgeon MSP, informed that there will be changes made to self-isolation and testing requirements that will come into effect this week.

England

The Prime Minister informed the House of Commons that Plan B restrictions will continue with the continued recommendations of working from home and wearing face coverings on public transport and in indoor public settings. The Prime Minister announced that if a positive result is returned on a lateral flow device, and you do not have symptoms, you will not be required to take a PCR test anymore to confirm the result. You will be required to immediately isolate. This change will come into effect from 11th January.

Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon MSP, announced changes to self-isolation rules to allow anyone with a positive covid-19 result to end self-isolation on day seven provided that they return two negative lateral flow test results, one on day six and one 24 hours after, and have no fever. The First Minister also informed that close contacts of a positive covid-19 case will no longer need to self-isolate but will be required to complete daily lateral flow tests for seven days. If a positive result is returned, self-isolation will be required. This only applies to fully vaccinated individuals who have also received a booster dose. Both of these self-isolation changes will come into effect from midnight tonight.

From tomorrow, following from the announcement in England, the First Minister informed that if a positive result is returned on a lateral flow device, and you do not have symptoms, you will not be required to take a PCR test anymore to confirm the result. You will be required to immediately isolate.

The First Minister informed that restrictions on large gatherings and the requirement for distancing between groups of people in indoor public places will remain in effect until 17th January. The First Minister added that the government is advising people to continue limiting contact with other households and limiting indoor household interactions to a maximum of three households.

Wales

In a written statement issued today by Welsh Health Minister, Eluned Morgan MS, the Welsh government has announced that people who are un-vaccinated contacts of positive cases and are self-isolating for 10 days should now take a lateral flow test on day two and day eight instead of a PCR test. This will help to increase PCR testing capacity. This change will come into effect immediately.

Secondly, following announcements from England and Scotland, if a person showing no symptoms has a positive lateral flow test they will no longer be advised to have a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result, unless they are in a clinically vulnerable group.
 

No new restrictions added to Plan B measures

Published 4th January

The Prime Minister announced that there will be no new restrictions added to the current Plan B measures in place.

The current data shows that;

• 218,724 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• 34,363,986 people have received their booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
• Sadly, there were 48 related deaths recorded yesterday

The Prime Minister informed that the booster programme was going well and providing significant protection to the public allowing schools and businesses to stay open.

He also informed that workers in critical sectors will be receiving lateral flow testing kits directly to their business or organisation from January 10th for every working day.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is seeking information and views on implementing a further relaxation to EU driver's hours rules for a period after 9th January 2022 in order to provide further support to driver shortages and supply disruption. We would welcome your views on this and the impact it will have on your business.

DEFRA's workforce absence survey is also open here, your response is extremely valuable.

Covid-19 Update

Published 4th January

NHS England has met its target to offer all adults a booster jab before the end of January, while the UK Health Security Agency is making almost eight million additional test kits available in pharmacies before New Year's Eve. PCR test appointments are available again to book but in high demand.

The Scottish Government is now prioritising convenience store workers for PCR tests via a tickbox function during the booking process.

COVID-19: Restrictions

Published 24th December

Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP will not announce any additional restrictions before Christmas.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP has announced that one metre physical distancing will be required for premises where food is served for on-site consumption from 5am on 27th December. The measure will be reviewed on 11th January.

The Welsh Government is reintroducing two metre social distancing from 6am on 26th December in all retail premises, unless ‘reasonable measures' are in place in line with Covid-19 risk assessments.

The omicron variant is close to becoming the dominant variant in all British nations. The variant is more transmissible but new research from Imperial College finds a 40% reduction in the risk of being admitted to hospital compared with Delta.

COVID-19: Business Support

Published 24th December

The UK Government has reinstated its Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme for the omicron variant, to cover two weeks' absence per employee for convenience retailers employing fewer than 250 staff. The claims portal will go live in mid-January for absences from 21st December.

DWP has also announced that employers can only ask employees for proof of sickness, such as a fit note, after 28 days of sickness, until 27th January. This intends to free up medical resources to support the booster rollout. £100m will be provided to English councils via the Additional Restrictions Grant to support businesses affected by restrictions based on economic need.

The Welsh Government is supplying funding to councils to make discretionary payments to businesses not paying business rates up to £2,000. The Scottish Government will announce details of a £375m business support package shortly.

COVID-19: Boosters and Isolation Rules

Published 24th December

Public Health England has developed new posters suitable for stores which encourage booster uptake and can be downloaded from IRC partner ACS here. A tool to find walk-in vaccination centres is also available here.

Changes to self-isolation rules have been confirmed, affecting stores trading in England and Wales. Retailers and colleagues with Covid-19 can now stop self-isolating after seven days instead of ten, if they test negative twice on day and day seven of isolation. Close contacts of Covid-19 cases can take daily lateral flow tests for seven days and self-isolate if a positive result emerges.

In Wales, close contacts who have not had at least two jabs must self-isolate rather than take daily tests. Further guidance for Wales is available here.

50% Rates Relief for Welsh Retailers

Published 24th December

The Welsh Government has published its draft Budget for 2022/23. The Budget will receive scrutiny from Senedd Select Committees and MS's before its expected adoption in March. The key policy measures for retailers include 50% business rates relief from April 2022 - March 2023, capped at £110,000 per business across Wales.

The business rates multiplier will also be frozen for 2022/23 to support the business recovery from Covid-19. An additional £100m capital investment will be made up to 2024/25 to support the sustainable growth of diverse town centres. The Budget documents also restated existing policy commitments to abolish more commonly littered single-use plastic items and invest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

England Covid self isolation rule change

Published 22nd December

Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced yesterday that people infected with Covid-19 in England can stop self-isolating after day seven instead of day 10 if they provide a negative lateral flow result on day six and day seven.

The change is based on the latest guidance from health experts and has been brought in to minimise disruption caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The new guidance applies to everyone, regardless of their vaccination status, including anyone currently in isolation. However, if they still have symptoms then they will need to continue to isolate.

Wales, UK and Scotland restrictions Update

Published 22nd December

Welsh Government First Minister Mark Drakeford MS has announced new restrictions intended to combat transmission of the omicron variant of Covid-19.

During a live press conference this afternoon, the First Minister outlined how omicron is spreading quickly and now overtaking delta to become the dominant variant in Wales, as it already is in England and Scotland. The Welsh Government is aware more people are off work sick and are expecting staff absence rates to worsen.

From 6am on 26th December, 2-metre social distancing will be reintroduced in all retail premises, unless ‘reasonable measures' are in place in line with Covid-19 risk assessments. Fully vaccinated adults identified as contacts of a positive Covid-19 case will also then be able to take daily lateral flow tests for seven days instead of self-isolating - this will be known as the ‘daily isolation testing regime'. Colleagues who have not been double vaccinated must self-isolate under current rules. Updated guidance for retailers is expected tomorrow, which will be shared with members via the ACS weekly briefing on Friday afternoon.

A £120m fund will be made available to businesses affected by these changes, including retailers, double the £60m announced last week. Further details about the fund will be announced tomorrow by Economy Minister Vaughan Gething MS.

The following Covid-19 announcements have also been made in the last 24 hours:

UK Government

• The statutory sick pay rebate scheme will be reinstated for the omicron variant, to cover two weeks' absence per employee for convenience retailers employing fewer than 250 staff. The claims portal will go live in mid-January. Further details here.
  
• Colleagues with Covid-19 in England can now stop self-isolating after seven days instead of ten, if they test negative twice on day six and day seven of isolation. Close contacts of Covid-19 cases can take daily lateral flow tests for seven days and self-isolate if a positive result emerges. Further details here.
  

Scottish Government

• One metre physical distancing will be required for premises where food is served for consumption on-site from 5am on 27th December. This will be reviewed on 11th January. The First Minister's statement is available here.
• More details will be announced soon of a £375m funding package to support sectors affected by omicron related restrictions.

Covid-19 restrictions update

Published 20th December

Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP has spoken to broadcast reporter Anushka Asthana to update on discussions around Covid-19 restrictions. This follows a cancelled press conference after a briefing between MPs and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance was postponed due to ‘scheduling reasons'.

The Prime Minister has said that Cabinet has agreed to keep data under review rather than act now but has urged people to be cautious. He has not ruled out further Covid-19 restrictions, saying arguments for and against are "finely balanced". He added hospitalisations in London are rising "quite steeply".

The current data shows that:

• There have been another 8,044 Omicron cases confirmed since yesterday, taking the total to 45,145. That's a 22% increase.
• The UK has recorded 91,745 new Covid-19 cases in total. This is the second highest recorded total, beaten only by the figure for Friday last week.
• The total number of new cases over the past week is now up 60.8% on the total for the previous week. Yesterday the week on week total was up 51.9%.
• There have been 44 further deaths, and week-on-week deaths are still going down, by 5.4% on today's figure.

Scotland: New guidance for businesses and checklist to support retailers 

Published 16th December

The Scottish Government have published new guidance about how businesses should strengthen compliance with current protection measures and make an extra effort to do so from now through the festive period and beyond. A checklist of measures is provided to support retailers consider appropriate measures for their setting.

BEIS states how businesses can help the booster programme

Published 16th December

The government is calling on everyone to support the booster programme to avoid the NHS being overloaded and to keep the economy open. 

Businesses can help in the following ways:

• Encouraging employees to get a booster (or first and second jab) and supporting them to do it in the best possible way - this might include giving them time off to get the jab.
• Promoting the booster campaign to their customers/supply chain/stakeholder networks. For example using their websites to promote the booster campaign and using their shop fronts to put up communications materials etc.
• If operationally feasible, releasing staff to help with the volunteer effort, either as healthcare professionals or as general volunteers.

A toolkit of materials for businesses to use is available on the coronavirus resource centre. This includes an employer toolkit.
 

Mandatory COVID Passes

Published 15th December

From Wednesday 15 December, visitors to certain venues and events in England are required to show their NHS COVID Pass as a condition of entry. People can get an NHS COVID Pass following 2 full doses of vaccination, or with proof of a negative test in the last 48 hours.

Certification will be required in nightclubs, indoor events over 500 people and outdoor events with more than 4,000 people - the full list of venues and events is set out in the latest NHS Covid Pass guidance.

BEIS have put together a communications toolkit that provides a range of resources for venues and settings to show that proof of COVID status is required. These resources can also be used by those venues where proof of COVID status is not mandatory but they wish to use it on a voluntary basis.

There is also detailed guidance available for venues, employees and the public. 

12-15 year-olds now eligible for second vaccination

Published 15th December

This afternoon the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that 12-15 year-olds are now eligible to book their second vaccination dose.

The current data shows that;

• 78,610 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• There are currently 10,017 confirmed cases of the new Omicron variant in the United Kingdom
• 24,732,162 people have received their booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Prime Minister reminded that all over 18s are now eligible to receive their booster covid-19 vaccination and urged the public to come forward for their booster as soon as they can amid increasing covid-19 cases and hospitalisations. It was also announced that 12-15 year-olds will be able to book their second vaccination dose from tomorrow.

Scottish Government Update - 14/12/2021 

Published 14th December

The First Minister delivered a statement to Parliament today and set out further protective measures considered necessary to help slow the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Businesses are being asked to step up the protections in place in their premises and regulations are being amended to put a legal requirement on those running businesses or providing services to take reasonably practicable measures to minimise the risk of transmission.

The Scottish Government aim to publish guidance on the following additional measures by the end of the week:

• Businesses, service providers and places of worship being asked to take all reasonable measures to avoid crowding, encourage wearing of masks and support distancing in their premises
  
• Guidance to ensure that people who can work from home, do so - for those in sectors where working from home is not possible, regular testing with lateral flow tests should be undertaken
  
• Reinforcement of protective measures in retail and other settings including distancing, managing customer flows, and protective screens.
  
• Reinforcement of protective measures in hospitality settings including collection of contact tracing information and measures to reduce crowding
  
• Guidance to increase mask wearing in outdoor crowded areas such as Christmas markets or festive celebrations

The offer of workplace testing has been extended. Public, private and third sector organisations with 10 or more staff can continue accessing free Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests to identify cases, reduce transmission and prevent outbreaks.

People who can't work from home - including sectors such as retail - should be testing regularly before going to work and businesses are strongly encouraged to sign up to workplace testing.

Businesses that sign up can access and distribute LFD kits twice a week free of charge, or implement their own asymptomatic test site model. Organisations with less than 10 employees can direct their workforce to collect LFD test kits from a local pharmacy or COVID-19 test site, or order online for home delivery.

You can find guidance for businesses and workplaces on reducing the risk of COVID-19 and supporting staff and customers on the Scottish Government website.

Finally, here is the ‘Living Safely This Winter' Stakeholder Toolkit which includes posters and social media assets. The Scottish Government have asked you to please share the assets with your members, staff and customers to re-emphasising the need for us all to live safely this winter through key COVID safety behaviours, such as testing, in order to protect ourselves, loved ones, our community and NHS.

Self-isolation guidance update in England and Scotland

Published 14th December

Today the updated self-isolation guidance was published requiring fully vaccinated people identified as a contact of someone with Covid-19 should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for seven days instead of self-isolate . Additionally, Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that retail premises will be required to enforce additional protective covid-19 measures such as the reintroduction of physical distancing measures and protective screen coverings. Guidance will be published later this week to make clear the legal requirements retailers have in Scotland.

The current data shows that;

• 53,953 people in the United Kingdom have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• There are currently 4,730 confirmed cases of the new Omicron in the United Kingdom
• 23,561,729 people in the United Kingdom have received their booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Scotland

Following increasing cases of the Omicron variant, the Scottish First Minister has announced that business will be legally required to enforce new protective measures to slow down the spread of the variant. For retail premises this will include the enforcement of physical distancing measures to reduce crowding in stores and the reintroduction of protective screen coverings. The Scottish government is also reminding businesses that employees should be testing regularly before coming to the work place and that the work place testing scheme has been extended for businesses that are signed up. For businesses more broadly, working from home, where possible will now be a legal duty.

The First Minister has also informed that everyone should reduce their contact with other households as much as possible in the run-up to Christmas. Before and immediately after Christmas, household mixing should be limited to three households per group for both at home and public gatherings. Finally, the First Minister announced that all over 18s will now be eligible to book their covid-19 booster vaccination.
Scottish Government guidance is expected to be published this week on the changes for businesses and household mixing.

England

The new self-isolation guidance has been updated. From today (14th December) new rules have come into force which mean that people who are fully vaccinated and identified as a contact of someone with Covid-19 should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for seven days. If any of these tests return a positive result, they should self-isolate for 10 days. The government guidance is available here.

The new daily testing policy does not apply to unvaccinated adults and they must self-isolate for ten days if they are a contact of someone who tests positive for Covid-19.

Currently, in England, face coverings are required to be worn in most public spaces including, shops, cinemas and theatres. Additionally, all over 18s are now eligible for their booster vaccination if their second dose was administered over 3 months ago.

Scottish Government Update - 10/12/2021 

Published 10th December

The First Minister held a COVID-19 media briefing today where she gave an update on the Omicron variant.

She said Omicron represents as severe challenge and that it is virtually certain that Scotland is facing a surge in cases. She also gave details of a new evidence paper which estimates that Omicron cases will double every two to three days and are likely to account for more than half the cases within Scotland by next week.

The First Minister said that public health advice is now that unnecessary contacts, especially in crowded places, should be thought about carefully and that it would be sensible to defer work Christmas parties. She recognised the impact of this on businesses and said the Scottish Government is considering - and pressing the UK Government on - financial support.

In addition, from tomorrow, all household contacts of any confirmed Covid case should isolate for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status and even if they initially get a negative PCR test. Non household contacts should continue to isolate pending a PCR result. If that is negative they can leave isolation at that point as long as they are double vaccinated.

As well as following all public health measures - getting vaccinated, wearing face coverings, regular hand washing and isolating when required to - people are strongly advised to undertake lateral flow testing in advance of meeting up with others.

Guidance to support employers and employees for safer office working has been updated to reflect the current situation.

Scottish Rates Relief Extended in Budget

Published 10th December

Cabinet Secretary for Finance Kate Forbes MSP has announced extended business rates relief as part of the Scottish Government's 2022-23 Budget. Retailers will receive a 50% business rates discount from April - June 2022, capped at £27,500 per business. The Small Business Bonus Scheme will resume at pre-pandemic thresholds from July 2022. Other announcements include £112 million to support sustainable transport initiatives including investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and an additional £94 million towards enhancing town centre environments. 

Covid-19 Business Rates Relief Extended

Published 10th December

Retailers will receive 50% business rates relief from April - June 2022, capped at £27,500 per ratepayer. This will taper the withdrawal of pandemic-related business rates relief, which is currently at 100% for all convenience retailers. The poundage rate will rise below inflation to 49.8p, reducing bills for the year.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme will remain in place, meaning stores under £15,000 RV will pay no business rates in 2022/23. Business Growth Accelerator Relief for property improvements will also be expanded to cover solar panels. This amendment intends to promote green business investments and support net zero targets.
 

Funding for ULEV Charging

Published 10th December

The Scottish Government has confirmed £112 million to support a range of sustainable low and zero carbon transport initiatives. This includes focusing on investing in growing and developing electric charging and zero emission refuelling infrastructure to accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles. The investment will also support employment and growth through investment in test facilities and related technology.

High Street Investments

Published 10th December

The Scottish Government will invest an additional £94 million in projects designed to regenerate communities and revitalise town centres, by tackling climate change and enhancing the local environment. A record £150m will also be invested in transport improvements to encourage walking and cycling into town centres and reduce car usage.
 

Prime Minister to implement Plan B

Published 9th December

This afternoon the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that England will be moving to Plan B covid-19 regulations.

The Prime Minister, outlined that the move to Plan B regulations includes the extension of legal mandating of face coverings to be worn in most indoor venues including cinemas and theatres, from this Friday (10th December) as well as the reintroduction of guidance for people to work from home where possible, from Monday (13th December)

The Prime Minister further announced that NHS covid-19 passes will become mandatory for entrance into nightclubs and large venues from Wednesday 15th December. This will require individuals to be either fully vaccinated or present a negative lateral flow test result.

Finally, it was announced that the government will be moving to daily testing for contacts of positive covid-19 cases instead of the current self-isolation system in place.

The government continues to monitor the covid-19 situation and will amend regulations dependent on vaccine efficacy, strength of the Omicron variant, speed of covid-19 spread and the rate of hospitalisation.
The current data shows that;

• 45,102 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• There are currently 561 confirmed cases of the new Omicron variant in the UK
• 20,580,644 people have received their booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

Isolation rules

Published 30th November

Anyone who comes into contact with someone who tests positive with a suspected case of the omicron variant will have to self-isolate for ten days, even if fully vaccinated.
All contacts of suspected omicron cases must self-isolate, regardless of their age or vaccination status. They will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

Face Covering Regulations Published

Published 30th November

The regulations about wearing face coverings in stores in England has now been published. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings) (England) Regulations 2021 will take effect at 4am on 30th November.

The regulations state that colleagues are required to wear face coverings in customer-facing areas, subject to exemptions for medical reasons. Customers will also be required to wear a face covering subject to the same exemptions. Retailers will have the right to refuse entry to non-compliant customers but are not responsible for enforcement. Fixed penalty notices for non-compliance will be £200, doubling per additional offence. The regulations will expire on 20th December, subject to review.

You can access ActSmart's face covering poster resources at the top of this page. 

Travel

Published 30th November

The Government is also bringing in measures to prevent new cases from abroad.

All travellers arriving in the country from 4am on Tuesday 30 November will be required to take a PCR test on day 2 and self-isolate until they have received a negative test result. These PCR tests can be purchased from private providers.

A number of countries have also been added to the red list. UK residents arriving from these countries must isolate in a government-approved facility for 10 days. During their stay, they will be required to take a test on day 2 and day 8.

Boosters

Published 30th November

BEIS have stated that vaccines remain the best way to protect people from serious COVID-19 infections, and COVID-19 booster vaccines were previously offered to everyone over the age of 40 to maintain protection through the winter months.

Following the emergence of the omicron variant, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has urgently reviewed vaccine response measures and now advises that all adults aged 18 or over should be offered a booster dose, in order of descending age groups, to increase their levels of protection.

People can book their booster online.
 

Scottish Government Update 29/11/2021

Published 29th November

Today the First Minister held a media briefing following the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant - of which six cases have been identified in Scotland. Read the full statement here.

The First Minister asked that everyone significantly step up and increase compliance with all existing precautions - face coverings, hygiene like washing hands and surfaces, getting vaccinated and testing regularly with lateral flow devices - and to now test before mixing socially with people from other households.

She also reminded people to work from home if possible and asked employers to make sure they are maximising the potential of home working.

In line with the rest of the UK, the red list of countries has been reinstated and to date 10 countries from Southern Africa have been added. This will be kept under review. Anybody travelling back to Scotland from those 10 countries must enter managed quarantine for 10 days on their arrival. In addition, any vaccinated traveller arriving in Scotland from anywhere outside the common travel area, will need to self-isolate until they get a negative result from a PCR test taken on the second day after arrival. The rules for people who are not fully vaccinated will stay the same.

Following the launch of COVID-19 winter campaign: ‘Living Safely for Us All', a series of social films have been produced. The full length films are available here and cut down films are available here and can be shared with audiences via social media channels.

Health Secretary Covid-19 Statement 29.11.21 

Published 29th November

This afternoon the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, announced that all over 18s will be invited to receive a booster dose of the covid-19 vaccination. The roll-out will be prioritised by age and should be administered no earlier than three months after the second dose.

The current data shows that;

• 37,681 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• There are currently 5 confirmed cases of the new Omicron variant in England and 6 confirmed cases in Scotland
• 17,581,331 people have received their booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Following advice from the JCVI, the Health Secretary announced that the gap between second doses and booster doses will be halved from six months to three months. Additionally, all over 18s will be offered a booster vaccination and will be invited based on an age prioritisation roll-out. Finally, the Health Secretary informed that children aged 12-to-15 years old will be invited to receive a second vaccination dose six weeks after their first dose.

The Health Secretary confirmed that as of 4am tomorrow (Tuesday 30th November), face coverings will be required to be worn in shops, post offices, banks and on public transport. Additionally, close contacts of suspected Omicron covid-19 cases will be required to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status.

Guidance on the regulations is still yet to be published, but we will update subscribers as soon as it is available.

Change in Face Coverings Policy 

Published 29th November

The Prime Minister has announced that due to the arrival of Omnicron variant in the UK that the government will be reintroducing the requirement to wear face coverings in shops. 

You can access ActSmart's face covering poster resources at the top of this page.

Updated coronavirus guidance

Published 24th November

Cabinet Office has issued updated guidance to remind people of the actions they can take to help reduce the spread of coronavirus and help reduce the pressure on the NHS over the winter months.

People are at higher risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 in crowded and enclosed spaces, where there are more people who might be infectious and where there is limited fresh air. As such, businesses should continue to ensure they have adequate ventilation and people should wear face coverings if in crowded or enclosed spaces.

The guidance also recommends that people take a rapid lateral flow test before attending any higher risk spaces to give piece of mind that they are unlikely to be infectious. As workplaces start to draw up plans for Christmas parties, employers may therefore wish to encourage staff to take a test before any activities to reduce the risk of people spreading the virus without knowing it.

Scotland to retain all COVID protections

Published 24th November

the First Minister delivered a statement to Parliament where she confirmed that Cabinet had decided to retain all of the remaining legal COVID protections - such as the requirement to wear face coverings.

The COVID certification scheme will remain in place for a further period and from 6 December, people attending venues covered by the scheme will be given the option of providing a recent negative lateral flow test for the virus, as an alternative to proof of vaccination.

Cabinet also considered the possible extension of the scheme to a wider range of premises and decided against doing so due to the impact on the operation of businesses. The First Minister stressed that this was a finely balanced decision and if the situation deteriorates, extending COVID certification may be a more proportionate alternative to the re-introduction of more restrictions.

Applications for the Business Ventilation Fund are now open until 31 March 2022 or when funds are exhausted - whichever occurs first. More information, including eligibility, is available on the updated Find Business Support website.

The first round of grants from the Scotland Loves Local (SLL) Fund are being distributed. Over 100 organisations have received a £1.5 million funding boost to help revitalise cities, town centres and neighbourhoods across Scotland.
 

New COVID-19 winter campaign: ‘Living Safely for Us All' - downloadable assets 

Published 18th November

The Stakeholder Toolkit for this campaign outlines all the campaign assets available.

This new strategy has been created to emphasise the need for all in Scotland to keep on living safely, through the COVID safety behaviours. By doing so, we'll all keep our country moving forward. This campaign will run initially on TV, Radio, Cinema, Out of Home, Digital and Social channels for the next four weeks.

View the toolkit now

New laws and code to resolve remaining COVID-19 commercial rent debts 

Published 9th November

New laws and a Code of Practice are being introduced to resolve the remaining commercial rent debts accrued because of the pandemic, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has announced today (Tuesday 9 November 2021). 

Commercial tenants are protected from eviction until 25 March 2022, thanks to government action last year to provide firms with breathing space and help protect jobs when certain businesses had to close in full or in part during the pandemic. This provides time for landlords and tenants to negotiate how to share the cost of commercial rent debts caused by the pandemic.

From today, these negotiations will be underpinned by a new Code of Practice, providing landlords and tenants with a clear process for settling outstanding debts before the new arbitration process comes into force.

The Code sets out that, in the first instance, tenants unable to pay in full should negotiate with their landlord in the expectation that the landlord waives some or all rent arrears where they are able to do so.

From 25 March 2022, new laws introduced in the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill, being introduced in Parliament today, will establish a legally-binding arbitration process for commercial landlords and tenants who have not already reached an agreement, following the principles in the Code of Practice. Subject to Parliamentary passage, this will come into force next year.

The Bill will apply to commercial rent debts related to the mandated closure of certain businesses such as pubs, gyms and restaurants during the pandemic. Debts accrued at other times will not be in scope.

These laws will come into force in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland will have a power in the Bill to introduce similar legislation.

The result of the arbitration process will be a legally-binding agreement the landlord and tenant must adhere to, resolving rent arrears disputes and helping the market return to normal as quickly as possible.

From today, the government is also protecting commercial tenants from debt claims, including County Court Judgements (CCJs), High Court Judgements (HCJs) and bankruptcy petitions, issued against them in relation to rent arrears accrued during the pandemic.

This measure will provide further protection to businesses which had to close and accumulated debts during the pandemic, while protections from forfeiture for business tenancies are in place under the Coronavirus Act 2020.

To see the Code of Practice click here.

Self-Isolation Rules Strengthened in Wales

Published 8th November

The Welsh Government has strengthened measures to control rising Covid-19 transmission. This includes updating self-isolation guidance to state that if a colleague or household member has symptoms or has tested positive, the entire household should self-isolate and take a PCR test, only stopping to self-isolate following a negative PCR test result. The Welsh Government is also reaffirming requirements on retailers to conduct and enforce Covid-19 risk assessments and promote the wearing of face coverings.

Welsh Government: Written Statement: Review of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restriction) (No.5) (Wales) Regulations 2020

Wales Covid-19 Update

Published 2nd November

The Welsh government announced that they have strengthened the coronavirus protective measures that are already in place in Wales to combat the high infection rates.

The government has updated self-isolation guidance to reflect latest data on household transmission. The new guidance states that if someone in your household has symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus you should self-isolate and take a PCR test. You may only stop self-isolating if your test is negative.

Scottish Government Updates Covid-19 Awareness Assets

Published 28th October

The Scottish government has developed updated covid-19 awareness assets under their ‘Safer Choices Make a Difference' campaign. The campaign aims to promote key safety measures and testing behaviours colleagues and customers can do to keep each other safe. Assets on safety measures and asymptomatic testing can be shared both on social media or used in store to support the ‘Safer Choices Make a Difference' campaign. 

Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? 

Published 28th October

Covid restrictions are being eased across the UK.

Check what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name here.

What is Covid Plan B and what are the rules across the UK this winter? 

Published 21st October

Health leaders in England are calling for the reintroduction of Covid restrictions to avoid a winter crisis.

The British Medical Association accused the government of being "wilfully negligent" for not moving to "Plan B", its back-up strategy to protect the health service.

Covid cases have been above 40,000 for seven days in a row, but the government insists the NHS is not under "unsustainable pressure".

What is Plan B?

Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs in September that the government could bring in the following measures in England if it was necessary to protect the NHS:

• Communicating clearly and urgently to the public that the level of risk has increased, and the need to behave more cautiously
  
• Introducing mandatory Covid passports
  
• Making face coverings compulsory again
  
• Advising people to work from home

When are you eligible for a booster jab?

Published 21st October

More than 4 million Covid booster jabs have now been given out in England, according to the NHS.

The booster is being offered to frontline medical staff, over-50s and the clinically vulnerable across the UK. Meanwhile, healthy children aged 12-15 are also being offered a single dose.

Across the UK, booster jabs are being offered to:

• Over-50s
  
• Frontline health and social care workers
  
• Older adults in residential care homes
  
• People aged 16-49 years old with underlying health conditions which put them at greater risk of severe Covid
  
• Adults who share a household with vulnerable people

How do Covid passports work in Wales and Scotland? 

Published 14th October

Wales

Anyone aged over 16 who has been fully vaccinated in Wales or England can use the NHS Covid Pass to prove their status, but it's only compulsory for over-18s who want to attend large events.

It's also available to people who've had a negative lateral flow test in the previous 48 hours.

The pass is needed for:

• nightclubs and comparable venues
• unseated indoor live events for more than 500 people
• unseated outdoor live events for more than 4,000 people
• any event for more than 10,000 people

You can get a digital copy of the NHS Covid pass, but need to register for an NHS login first. Call 0300 303 5667 for a paper copy at least five days after your final vaccine dose.

Scotland

You now need a Covid vaccination certificate to enter nightclubs, adult entertainment venues and many large events.

These include indoor events with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor events with more than 4,000 people, and any event with more than 10,000 people.

But the rules will not be enforced until 18 October, to allow venues to "test, adapt and build confidence" in the scheme.

You can only get the passport if you have been fully vaccinated in Scotland. Proof of a recent negative Covid test is not enough.

Some people will be exempt, including under-18s, people taking part in vaccine trials and those unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons.

People can prove they're fully vaccinated by using the NHS Scotland Covid Status App to generate a QR code.

The app was launched on 30 September, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologised for its botched introduction. A paper version is also available.

The Scottish government says it's working to ensure that the system can also be used by people vaccinated in the rest of the UK, or abroad.

Covid-19 Recovery Plans Published

Published 11th October

The Scottish Government has published its covid recovery strategy. The plan aims to tackle inequalities that were heightened by the pandemic, ensure financial security for all and support green jobs and fair employment.

The measures include utilising Scotland's No One Left Behind programme to provide £20 million in funding for employability focused interventions as well as help businesses create green employment opportunities via the Green Jobs Fund.

Separately, the Welsh Government has published an updated coronavirus control plan ahead of winter, which outlines key actions that could be put in place to manage the spread of the virus if public health transmission risks and outcomes increased significantly. Measures include a continued focus on vaccination, the legal requirement for businesses to carry out covid-19 risk assessments and the legal requirement to continue wearing face coverings in indoor public spaces.

Scottish Government: Covid Recovery Strategy: for a fairer future
Welsh Government: New plan to keep Wales open and safe during "challenging" winter ahead

New travel rules in UK

Published 7th October

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving from non-red list countries no longer have to take a PCR or lateral flow test before setting off for the UK.

This includes people vaccinated in the UK, the EU, the US, or 18 other recognised countries.

You must be able to prove that you are fully vaccinated.

Everyone under 18 - and resident in one of these countries - can also travel to the UK without taking a pre-departure test, whether or not they've been vaccinated.

All travellers - except children under five years old - still have to book and pay for a PCR test two days after arrival.

The government says you should book this test before you travel.

You also need to complete a passenger locator form.

In addition, the Foreign Office has removed its advice that UK citizens should avoid holidays in 32 destinations, including Bangladesh, Fiji, Gambia and Malaysia.

The destinations weren't on the government's red list, but non-essential travel was not recommended because of fears about how Covid was being managed.

The change should make it easier for people to get travel insurance.

Universal credit: End of the £20 boost

Published 7th October

The £20-a-week increase to universal credit, brought in to support those on low incomes during the pandemic, is being withdrawn.

The government says higher wages, rather than taxpayer-funded benefit rises, are a better option - but many MPs had wanted the boost to be permanent.

How is universal credit changing?
In response to the pandemic, a temporary £20 increase to universal credit payments was introduced.

The scheme officially ends on 6 October.

However, the exact date the money will stop being paid will vary depending on which day people usually receive universal credit.

What difference will it make?
The standard allowance for a single person aged under 25 falls back from £79 a week to £59. That's a drop of 25%.

For a couple, where either one of them is 25 or over, their allowance drops from £137 a week to £117 - a fall of 15%.

The calculations come from the Resolution Foundation, a think tank which focuses on people on lower incomes.

Furlough scheme ends with almost 1 million left in limbo 

Published 30th September 2021  

The furlough scheme closes today, with uncertainty ahead for people who have not yet returned to work.

Nearly one million workers were expected to be on the scheme at the end of September, according to estimates by the Office for National Statistics.

It is unclear how many of those still were relying on it for all of their income.

Many forecasters, including the Bank of England, are expecting a small rise in unemployment as the scheme ends.

The chancellor said he was "immensely proud" of the near £70bn scheme, but now was the right time to close it, despite calls for further support from some badly-hit companies.

Consultation on mandatory covid certification

Published 30th September 2021 

The Department for Health and Social Care has published a proposal for the introduction of mandatory covid certification in certain settings where crowds mingle in close contact, including nightclubs and sports events. This is an opportunity to comment on the proposals and help to shape the final policy.

Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback through the link on the consultation page by 11 October, although DHSC would welcome comments sooner if possible in case there is a need to introduce certification at short notice.

New rules for travelling or returning to England

Published 30th September 2021 

• New international travel system from 4 Oct: red list and rest of world
  
• Changes to rules for fully vaccinated travellers coming from non-red list countries
  
• 8 destinations removed from red list including Turkey and Pakistan
  

The end of furlough: What you need to know

Published 16th September 2021 

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) ends on September 30, 2021.

The end of the scheme marks more than 18 months of support to keep people in employment through the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the last month (September) government contributions have been reduced to 60% of an employees wages, capped at £1,875, compared to 80% (up to £2,500) at the start of the scheme. The reduction in contribution started from July 1, 2021, onwards.

Claims for September's wages must be submitted by October 14, 2021, and any amendments must be made by October 28, 2021.

More about the end of furlough here.

Autumn and Winter Plan Published

Published 15th September 2021 

The UK Government has published its five-part plan A for controlling Covid-19 during autumn and winter as well as a plan B with contingency measures.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid MP announced that the Government will be focussing on strengthening vaccines and pharmaceutical defences in their plan A including starting the roll-out of a vaccine booster programme next week for individuals in priority groups one-nine. Booster vaccines are being advised to be administered no less than six-months after a second Covid-19 vaccination and will be deployed in the same order of priority as the original vaccine rollout.

The Health Secretary also advised that testing, tracing and self-isolation will continue to play a large role in managing the spread of the virus and the Government will continue to offer practical and financial support to individuals self-isolating including providing statutory sick pay until March 2022. The Government also cautioned that if pressures begin to overwhelm the NHS and cases significantly increase, it will enact Plan B, which includes mitigation measures such as legally mandating face masks, requiring working from home where possible and potentially introducing the use of vaccine passports. The full plan can be downloaded here.

Update for Scotland

Published 15th September 2021  

The Scottish First Minister provided a Covid-19 update today, announcing that the government has decided to not make any changes to the current regulations that are already in place.

Nicola Sturgeon MSP also updated that following advice from Chief Medical Officers across the UK nations, Scotland will begin vaccinating 12-15-year-olds from next week. This aligns with planned measures in England. The Scottish Government has also confirmed its vaccine booster programme will begin rollout next week, with all adults aged over 50, health workers and adults with health conditions offered a vaccine in the same priority order as the original vaccine programme rollout. Finally, the Scottish First Minister confirmed that Parliament agreed to introduce Covid-19 vaccination certifications for use in nightclubs and other events, not pursued in England.

Scottish Government: Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: First Minister's statement - 14 September 2021

Update for Wales

Published 15th September 2021  

The Welsh Government has also announced it will begin its autumn booster programme and vaccinating 12-15-year-olds from next week.

Following advice from the JCVI and announcements from Scotland and England, the Welsh Health Minister, Eluned
Morgan MS, confirmed that the booster programme will begin from next Monday and those who were earliest to have their first vaccination will be amongst the first to receive a booster vaccine. Additionally, similar to England and Scotland the Welsh Government will be inviting 12-15-year-olds for a first Covid-19 vaccine from Monday and has set a goal to vaccinate all 12-15-year-olds who wish to come forward by October half-term. 

HSE updated COVID-19 guidance on ventilation and air conditioning 

Published 9th September 2021 

Health and Safety Executive released a video explains how having adequate ventilation can help you reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission in your workplace. It includes advice on identifying poorly ventilated areas and using CO2 monitors, improving natural and mechanical ventilation, and how to keep work vehicles ventilated. 

More information can be found here.

Moratorium on Evictions Extended in Wales

Reasonable Measures Guidance for Welsh Retailers

The current data shows that:

• 681 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday
• There are 133 people in hospital with Covid-19 and 22 are receiving critical treatment
• Sadly, there were 4 Covid-19 related deaths reported yesterday

The First Minister confirmed that the move beyond level 0 is a result of decreased cases over the past two weeks and the success of the vaccination programme with 82% of adults having now received both doses of the covid-19 vaccine.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that all areas of Wales will move into alert Level 0 from 6am tomorrow morning, 7th August, as planned, which will result in the removal of most legal restrictions such as physical distancing and limits on social gatherings. The government announced that from 7th August no venues will be legally required to stay shut anymore, however the First Minister also announced some mitigation protocols that will stay in place.

It will continue to be the law that face coverings will be required in indoor settings in Wales and all businesses will have to complete a covid-19 risk assessment to ensure employers are taking steps to protect their customers and colleagues. The government have published guidance to help businesses enforce these protective measures covering areas such as improving hygiene and ventilation.

Finally, the Welsh Government reminded that when the country moves into level 0 tomorrow, close contacts of a positive covid-19 case will no longer need to self-isolate if they have been double vaccinated. Individuals who test positive or show symptoms of covid-19 will still need to isolate regardless of their vaccination status. The First Minister also informed that they have increased the self-isolation pay support for individuals on lower incomes from £500 to £750.

The current data shows that:
• 1,016 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday
• There are 406 people in hospital with Covid-19 and 61 are receiving critical treatment
• Sadly, there were 9 Covid-19 related deaths reported yesterday
The First Minister confirmed that the move beyond level 0 is a result of the vaccination programme going well with 4,014,212 having received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 3,231,331 receiving a second dose.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that all areas of Scotland will move beyond alert Level 0 on August 9th as planned, which will result in the removal of most legal restrictions such as physical distancing and limits on social gatherings. The government announced that from August 9th no venues will be legally required to stay shut anymore, however the First Minister also announced some mitigation protocols that will stay in place.

It will continue to be the law that face coverings will be required in indoor settings in Scotland and indoor venues will still be required to record contact details of customers for the Test and Protect service. The government will also continue to produce updated guidance for businesses and individuals on protective measures such as hand washing and ventilation.

Finally, the Scottish Government confirmed that when the country moves beyond level 0 on August 9th, close contacts of a positive covid-19 case will no longer need to self-isolate if they have been double vaccinated and provide a negative PCR result. Individuals who test positive or show symptoms of covid-19 will still need to isolate regardless of their vaccination status.

• There have been 39,950 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
  
• In the last 24 hours, 19 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
  
• Almost 43.3 million people have been given their first dose of the vaccine and over 36 million people have received the second dose of the vaccine

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is currently self-isolating, appeared via video-link today to give this afternoon's press conference alongside UK chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England's deputy medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam who gave an update from Downing Street.

Today, England moved to stage 4 of the roadmap, meaning most lockdown restrictions have now been lifted and Boris Johnson confirmed that the Government feels that it is right to take this step now. He explained that now, despite the rising cases and hospitalisations, is the best time to remove these restrictions rather than in Autumn/Winter when the virus would have a natural advantage.

The Prime Minister stressed that the pandemic ‘is far from over' and that it is essential to keep up the system of ‘test, trace and isolate' and extended his sympathy to those who have been ‘pinged' and as a result are now isolating.

He announced that the Government will be working to protect crucial services by allowing a ‘small number of named fully vaccinated critical workers' to leave their isolation for work purposes only. Mr Johnson said workers involved in the supply of food, water, electricity, as well as staff on the border and on the railways would be among those exempt from self-isolation.

This will include staff who have been contacted as a close contact of a case of COVID-19 by NHS Test and Trace, or advised to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app.

Recovery Loan Scheme: current accredited lenders 

Published 14th July 2021

Nineteen approved lenders are now open for applications to the Government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme. 

Visit the British Business Bank website here to view the full list of approved lenders.

More about the Recovery Loan Scheme

The new government-backed loan scheme was launched earlier this month (6 April) to provide additional finance to those businesses that need it. 

With non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality reopening next week, Ministers have ensured that appropriate support is still available to businesses to protect jobs. From today, businesses - ranging from coffee shops and restaurants, to hairdressers and gyms - and can access loans varying in size from £25,000, up to a maximum of £10 million. Invoice and asset finance is available from £1,000.

Eligibility

You will be able to apply for a loan if your business:

• is trading in the UK

You will need to show that your business:

• is viable or would be viable were it not for the pandemic
• has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic
• is not in collective insolvency proceedings - further details will be provided in due course

Business that have received support under the existing COVID-19 guaranteed loan schemes will still be eligible to access finance under this scheme, if they meet all other eligibility criteria.

Full information can be found here.

The Welsh First Minister confirmed that from July 17th up to six people can meet indoors in private homes and organised indoor events can take place for up to 1,000 seated and up to 200 standing. Face coverings will still be legally required in indoor settings in Alert level 1. The Government further announced that they will be removing further restrictions in outdoor settings which include removing limits on the number of people who can meet in outdoor public places or at events and outdoor premises will have more flexibility around social distancing.

The Welsh Government has also announced that they will be publishing their updated Coronavirus Control Plan today which sets out how Wales will move beyond alert level 1 to alert level 0 on 7th August. Some of the alert level 0 restrictions will include legal limits on the number of people who can meet will be removed however, face coverings will remain a legal requirement in indoor public places, with the exception of education settings and hospitality.

Finally, Mark Drakeford MS indicated that the Welsh Government will continue to review the covid-19 data in order to gradually remove restrictions.

Since the 4-week delay, the Government have administered over 7 million additional vaccinations, meaning by next Monday two-thirds of adults will be fully vaccinated and all adults will have been invited to have their first dose of the vaccine.

The Prime Minister informed that despite legal restrictions being removed, they will expect and encourage individuals to wear a face covering in closed environments and busy spaces and it will still be required to wear a face covering on public transport.

The Government will shortly set out new guidance ahead of the easement date on 19th July, including guidance for businesses to have a gradual return over the summer. We will continue to monitor this and share the latest guidance when it is published.

Vaccine Minister, Nadhim Zahawi MP, update

Published 23nd June 2021

The current data shows that:

• 8,952 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday
• 43,448,680 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine
• 31,740,115 people have received their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine

The Minister announced that 82% of all adults in the UK have now received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and over 60% of adults have received a second dose. He also announced that almost half of 25-29 year olds have received a first dose and a third of 18-24 year olds have had a first dose since the vaccine programme became available to them last week.

Nadhim Zahawi stressed the importance of everyone getting both doses of the vaccine and the effect this has had at reducing the level of over 75 year olds being administered to hospital. The Minister revealed that in January, over 75 year olds made up the majority of individuals being hospitalised, whilst the most recent data shows this is now less than 33%. The Minister also announced that latest data demonstrates that having both doses of the vaccine offers 90% protection against the fast spreading Delta variant.

Finally, the Nadim Zahawi highlighted the importance community support has had to the response of vaccine take up, specifically in the Black and Asian communities, where vaccine hesitancy has halved in recent months. The Minister stressed that the Government's response will now be to focus on areas where vaccine take up is low, such as in London, where there will be a London vaccine summit to evaluate what can be done to boost and improve uptake.

Applications for Scottish Business Rates Relief now open

Published 23nd June 2021

The 100% Covid-19 retail, hospitality, leisure, and aviation relief has been extended for all of 2021-22 and applications are now open for the relief. To apply for the business rates relief an application has to be completed, which can be made through your local authority.

Scottish First Minister Covid-19 Statement

Published 22nd June 2021

Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, confirmed there will be no changes to restrictions or alert levels to any part of Scotland next week.

The current data shows that:

• 2,167 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday
• There are 171 people in hospital with Covid-19 and 18 are receiving critical treatment
• Sadly, there were 4 Covid-19 related deaths reported yesterday

The First Minister confirmed that the vaccination programme is going well with 3,664,571 having received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 2,602,753 receiving a second dose. However it was confirmed that the number of new cases has increased by 40% in the past week, which is the highest recorded increase since late January. This reflects the faster spreading Delta variant dominance throughout Scotland.

The Scottish Government has confirmed no changes will happen this week or for the next 3 weeks. The next Government review will be on 19th July. There will be minor amendments to restrictions for weddings and funerals that will come into effect on Monday, these include live entertainment being permitted at weddings and individuals from multiple households will now be allowed to carry a coffin at a funeral. Nicola Sturgeon MSP also announced plans for the country to move beyond alert level 0 from August 9th where a review into removing physical distancing measures indoors will be conducted.

The First Minister also announced that by Sunday everyone in the top 9 JCVI priority groups will have been fully vaccinated, this includes everyone over the age of 50, carers and anyone with health conditions. The government plan to have every adult in Scotland vaccinated by 12th September and are looking into plans for introducing vaccines for children over the age of 12.

Finally, the Scottish Government have published two pieces of work today; one on looking ahead of level 0 restrictions including the Government's new strategic plan to supress the virus to a level where harm is alleviated whilst focusing on recovering and rebuilding for a better future and secondly, the outcome of the physical distancing review.

Welsh First Minister announces delay on lockdown relaxations

Published 17th June 2021

Today the Welsh First Minister announced that there will be a 4-week pause on lifting of restrictions.

The current data shows:

• 2,225,499 people have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
• 1,454,064 people have received their second covid-19 vaccine
• There are currently 490 confirmed cases of the Delta coronavirus cases

The Welsh First Minister confirmed that for the first time this year there has been a sustained week on week increase in coronavirus cases across Wales. He indicated that this is a result of the Delta covid-19 variant spreading rapidly across Wales with 97% of confirmed cases in North Wales being recorded as the Delta variant and 8 in 10 cases being recorded as the variant across other areas in Wales.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that there will therefore be no new alert level 1 indoor relaxations this week or any further relaxations to the regulations over the coming 3-week cycle. This means there will be a 4 week pause on lifting restrictions in order to focus on vaccinating even more people to help manage the impact of increasing infections.

The First Minister did, however, announce a number of minor adjustments to the current regulations which will take effect from Monday. These include adding grassroots music and comedy venues in line with rules of hospitality; updating regulations so that businesses can take all appropriate measures to reduce risk on their premises; and determining how many people can attend an indoor wedding or funeral based on the size of venues and a risk assessment.

Finally, Mark Drakeford MS indicated that the Welsh Government's pilot programme will continue over the coming weeks and months in theatre, sport and other sectors which will test ways in which larger numbers of people can gather safely in those venues.

• 30-person limit at weddings will be scrapped but rules on singing and dancing will remain
  
• Guest limits will be set by venues based on their social distancing requirements
• People must sit on tables of up to six people and receptions will be table service only
• Funeral wakes will also no longer be limited to 30 people
• Care home residents won't have to quarantine for 14 days after day visits out
• Pilot mass gathering events will continue, including at Euro 2020 where at least 40,000 fans will allowed at the final four matches at Wembley

19 July (delayed from 21 June):

• All legal limits on social contact set to be removed
  
• Nightclubs and theatres will be able reopen and lifting of restrictions on large events such as festivals
  
• Testing could be used as a condition of entry to venues
  
• The four-week delay will be reviewed to see if action can be taken two weeks sooner, on 5 July

• Up to six people from outside a household bubble can meet in private homes
  
• A bubble of two households can form
  
• Up to 30 people can meet indoors
  
• Organised activities can have 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors, including weddings
  
• Nightclubs and adult entertainment venues must remain closed

Close contact services such as hairdressers had already opened on 23 April, as well as outdoor visitor attractions.

The next stage of easing lockdown has been set out for 21 June, although it is subject to the COVID-19 data and will be reviewed on 17 June.

If it goes ahead, up to 10 people from no more than two households could be allowed to meet in a private home and stay overnight.

Up to 15 people from any number of households could be allowed to meet in a private garden, while the number of people allowed at managed outdoor gatherings (currently 500) could increase.

Some areas are now enjoying eased restrictions, though - Glasgow has been moved from Level 3 to Level 2, while a small number of places have moved into Level 1 or Level 0.

What are the restrictions in your area?

Published 17th June 2021

Plans to ease lockdown further have been delayed because of concerns over the Delta variant of Covid.

Check what the rules are in your part of the UK by entering your postcode or council name in the Government checker here.

Legal challenge over travel traffic light system

Published 17th June 2021

A legal challenge over the government's traffic light system for trips abroad is due to launched by members of the travel industry.

Ryanair and the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports are calling for more transparency about how the government decides which countries qualify for the green list of safe places to visit amid the pandemic.

The system currently rates countries green, amber or red based on their Covid risk, which ministers say "cautiously manages the risk of new variants". 

Scottish First Minister press conference

Published 15th June 2021

The Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, gave an announcement on Covid-19 confirming that there will be no further changes to levels and restrictions this week.

The current data shows that;

• 974 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday
• There are 137 people in hospital with Covid-19 and 17 are receiving critical treatment.
• Sadly, 2 people lost their lives in the past 24 hours after having a positive covid-19 test within 28 days of death.

The First Minister confirmed that the vaccination programme is going well with 3,531,000 having received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 2, 470,000 receiving a second dose. She highlighted that recent studies by Public Health England and Edinburgh University do show the relationship weakening between vaccination and transmission/hospitalisations after double dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Scottish Government has confirmed no changes will happen this week. The next Government review is next week to consider if any changes will be possible from 28th June which is the current planned date planned to move everyone to level 0.

Nicola Sturgeon said that it is reasonable to indicate now that it is unlikely that any part of the country will move down a level from 28th June and the Government is likely to add an extra three weeks onto the current restrictions from the 28th June to allow for fully vaccinating the adult population. This will be formally confirmed by the First Minister at next weeks review.

Finally, next week the Scottish Government will be publishing two pieces of work; one on looking ahead of level 0 restrictions and secondly, the outcome of the physical distancing review.

Prime Minister extends restrictions until 19th July

Published 14th June 2021

This evening the Prime Minister has announced that the current restrictions will be in place until 19th July with no easements to take place as expected on 21st June.

The current data shows that;
• 41,698,429 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• 29,973,779 people have received their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• The number of people who tested positive for the virus yesterday in the UK was 7,490, with 8 people sadly losing their lives.
The Government does not believe that the country has met the 4 tests required to procced to the next stage of the roadmap which includes; vaccination roll out and infections/hospitalisations. Boris Johnson highlighted that cases are currently growing by about 64% per week and in the worst affected areas in the North are doubling each week.

Boris Johnson stressed that a large proportion of young adults that are still not vaccinated along with elderly people who have not come forward for vaccinations or received their second dose. He noted that even if the link between vaccinations and hospitalisations have been weakened by the vaccination progress so far, it is still not eliminated.

Therefore, the Prime Minister has announced that by Monday 19th July the Government and NHS will aim to have fully vaccinated 2/3rds of adults in England. In light of this, the immunisation of over 40s will be accelerated with sooner second doses and 23 and 24 year olds are invited to book doses from tomorrow.

The Government will continue to monitor the data and has stated that there is flexibility to bring forward the date if the data allows but they currently believe a four week extension is what will be necessary.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock addresses MPs on Covid-19

Published 10th June 2021

Health Secretary Matt Hancock had the chance to address a number of accusations made about him during questions from MPs looking into the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The session comes after the prime minister's former chief adviser Dominic Cummings claimed Mr Hancock should have been fired on several occasions for "lying" to the cabinet during the crisis.

Mr Hancock denies the claims and said he has been guided by the science throughout and has worked to protect the NHS and save lives.

The full question and answer is available on the BBC website.

Stormont ministers to discuss further easing of restrictions 

Published 10th June 2021

 Stormont ministers are meeting to discuss Northern Ireland's remaining coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

These will include proposals to allow live music to resume.

An indicative date of 21 June has been put forward, but it needs considered in line with health advice.

No live music is permitted in pubs, hotels and clubs in Northern Ireland under current Covid-19 regulations, with many venues closed to audiences since March 2020.

It is understood ministers will also consider slightly raising limits on social contact at home.

However, it is believed the plans would need to be signed off on 17 June, when the executive is scheduled to meet again.

The proposals are understood to include allowing 10 people from two households to meet indoors at home from 21 June. Currently only six people from two households can meet inside a home.

The number of people allowed to meet outdoors in a private garden could rise to 15 from any number of households on that date.

It is understood there is a proposal to lift the cap of 500 people at outdoor gatherings, instead replacing it with numbers by risk assessment.

25 to 29-year-olds eligible for COVID-19 vaccination

Published 10th June 2021

Everyone aged 25 and over in England will be invited to get a coronavirus vaccine Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on the 8th June.

The announcement, which is likely to impact many people working in retail, comes just a fortnight after the scheme was opened up to people in England aged 30 and over.

More than a million coronavirus vaccine bookings were made on the NHS website yesterday for the first time - on the day all 25 to 29-year-olds were eligible to access it.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens labelled it a "Glastonbury style" rush - a reference to the traditional race to book tickets for the music festival. Meanwhile, another 7,540 people tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday - the highest daily number of cases since the end of February.

New vaccine toolkit for employers

Published 3rd June 2021

The Department for Health has launched a new toolkit for employers to help ensure employees get reliable information about COVID-19 vaccines. Several major businesses, including Asda, IKEA and Santander, have already pledged to promote vaccine uptake with their employees and to allow flexibility for staff to get vaccinated during work hours.

Access the toolkit to get materials for you to run internal awareness campaigns promoting the benefits of vaccination, including key messages, posters, fact sheets and videos providing accurate up to date information. The government is calling on as many employers as possible to join the campaign and support the efforts to continue to bring the nation out of lockdown.
 

Government Publishes Plan for Wales

Published 1st June 2021

The Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart MP, has detailed the UK Government's ‘Plan for Wales' coming out of the pandemic. The Plan includes implementing the Levelling Up Fund to improve local infrastructure and launching Project Gigabit, a connectivity programme to rollout gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach communities. The Plan also commits to supporting businesses to transition to net zero and supporting productivity via investments from a new UK Infrastructure Bank.

Government: 'Direct delivery to communities' at heart of Plan for Wales

Matt Hancock press conference 

Published 27th May 2021

This afternoon, Health Secretary Matt Hancock held a press conference alongside Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency.

The latest information is below:

• There have been 3,542 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• In the last 24 hours, 10 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• Almost 38.6 million people have been given their first dose of the vaccine and over 24 million people have received the second dose of the vaccine

The Health Secretary started the press conference by emphasising that we must remain vigilant as the coronavirus variant first identified in India is still spreading, stating that half or as many as three-quarters of cases are now of this variant. Public Health England (PHE) say that 6,959 cases of the Indian variant have been confirmed in the UK up to 26th May.

PHE data also suggests that 13,200 deaths have been prevented by vaccines as well as over 39,000 hospitalisations.

Dr Jenny Harries said that we are not seeing a sharp increase in people being admitted to hospital with Covid and urged people to get their vaccine, stressing the importance of getting the second dose of the vaccine.

NI offers jabs to all over-18s

Published 27th May 2021

Everyone aged over 18 in Northern Ireland can now book a vaccine.

Vaccine supplies were limited and there would be about 20,000 slots available weekly, the Department of Health said. Health Minister Robin Swann said the announcement was "welcome news for young people who have been waiting patiently for their turn to get the jab". Those aged over 30 in England and Scotland, and over-18s in Wales are all currently being invited to book their first jabs. 

Biden orders intelligence report on virus origin

Published 27th May 2021

US President Joe Biden has ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the emergence of Covid-19, amid growing controversy about the virus's origins.

The virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and scientists believed it was first passed to humans from animals. But recent US media reports suggest growing evidence the virus could instead have emerged from a laboratory in China. The US Intelligence Community has "not reached a definitive conclusion on this question", said Mr Biden and has asked them to report to him within 90 days. Beijing has condemned the reports, suggesting the virus could have come from a US lab instead. 

Find out how to make your workplace COVID-secure

Published 20th May 2021

On 17th May more businesses and venues were able to reopen.

BEIS have released 14 guides covering a range of different types of work. Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, such as an office, factory and fleet of vehicles. You may need to use more than one of these guides as you think through what you need to do to keep people safe. Priority actions are outlined at the top of each guide. 

Access the guides now

Traffic light system for NI foreign travel expected 

Published 20th May 2021

A traffic light system for foreign travel could come into effect for NI on Monday.

But the proposal will have to be discussed by Stormont ministers at Thursday's executive meeting.

They are also due to decide whether to relax other restrictions, such as the reopening of indoor hospitality.

It is understood only a very limited number of countries are set to make NI's so-called "green list" for foreign travel.

People going to countries that appear on the green list do not need to quarantine on their return.

England, Scotland and Wales have already implemented similar systems, with the first travellers heading off on holiday earlier this week.

Self-isolation reduced for South East arrivals

Published 20th May 2021

People coming to Guernsey from South East of England no longer need to self-isolate for a week, following a change to its Covid-19 travel classification.

The region, which does not include London, has been reclassified into category two of the four-tier system.

Category two areas require self-isolation until a negative test on arrival is received.

The adjustment follows an error in data collection from Public Health England (PHE).

Matt Hancock press conference 

Published 19th May 2021

This afternoon, Health Secretary Matt Hancock held a press conference alongside Professor Jonathan Van-Tam and England's deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries.

The latest information is below:

• There have been 2,696 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• In the last 24 hours, 3 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• Almost 37 million people have been given their first dose of the vaccine and 20,870,453 people have received the second dose of the vaccine.

The Healthy Secretary confirmed that the number of detected cases of the Indian variant in the UK has risen to 2,967. He stressed that we must continue to proceed with vigilance but said that early evidence suggests that the Indian variant passes on more easily than the Kent variant but there is increasing confidence that the vaccine is effective against it.

Matt Hancock announced the launch of a new vaccine booster trial led by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, seven vaccines will be included in the trial to provide data on the impact of a third dose on patients' immune responses - initial findings are expected in September.

Earlier today, Matt Hancock also announced surge testing has been expanded to Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow, Leicester, Kirklees and North Tyneside.

New guidance in Wales for hospitality sector 

On Monday - as in England and Scotland - indoor hsopitality will be allowed to resume.

The summary of the latest advice is as follows:

1. KEEPING RECORDS. In Wales, it is compulsory for hospitality businesses - including pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants - to collect details of staff, customers and visitors to support the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect service. This means that if you run a hospitality business, you must introduce an electronic or paper-based system that will record the name, contact details and arrival time of every customer (excluding children). This is a legal requirement and is vital to supporting contact tracing in the event of an outbreak. Asking customers to use the NHS App is not enough and does not exempt a business from collecting this information.
   
2. VENTILATION. All hospitality business should take action to increase ventilation at their premises as indoor hospitality re-opens. This is such an important step that you, as a hospitality business, can take to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus in your pub, bar, café, restaurant. Good ventilation reduces how much virus is in the air. It helps reduce the risk from aerosol transmission when someone breathes in small particles in the air after a person with the virus has been in the same enclosed area. Think about what extra measures you can introduce to improve airflow by opening windows and propping open internal doors (but not fire doors) wherever possible.
   
3. FACE MASKS. Staff working in all indoor and outdoor areas accessible to the public must wear masks (unless they have a reasonable excuse). This means that masks must be worn by staff serving customers food and drink and when staff move around the premises. This is a legal requirement in indoor spaces and masks must also be worn by staff serving customers outside. Your customers must also wear face masks when not seated to eat or drink at their allocated table.

The toolkit also includes printable assets that are useful for businesses to print and display in their premises to keep their customers informed of key behaviours as well as on keeping records and an Addo campaign action card.

The current data shows that;

• The number of daily deaths is now averaged at 9 per day.
• 1,979 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
• 36,704,672 people have now received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Health Secretary spoke of progressing to the next step of the roadmap today, allowing further easements to be made to the national lockdown.

Matt Hancock detailed to the house how the Government is planning to battle the Covid-19 Indian variant via surge testing and fast tracking vaccinations. He announced that the Indian variant has now become the dominant variant in Blackburn and Darwin and Bolton.

The new variant shows so far that it does not seem to be transmitting to those who have had the vaccination and particularly over 60 who are most at risk. However, Hancock stated that the majority of those now hospitalised with the new variant do qualify for a vaccine but have chosen to not have it, demonstrating necessity for uptake.

The early evidence shows that the new variant is more transmissible than previous variants but the extent is currently unknown. Early laboratory data does show that vaccines are effective and the Government continues to monitor this.

The Health Secretary celebrated the broad successful update of the vaccine with new YouGov data today showing that 90% of people will have or have had a Covid-19 vaccine.

Hancock announced that from tomorrow those aged 37 can get vaccinations and this will be extended further later this week. The NHS app also from today can be used to show if you have had the vaccine or not.

The current data shows that;
• 36,115,955 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination.
• In the last 24 hours, 2,193 people tested positive with Covid-19.
• There has sadly been 17 deaths in the last 24 hours within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.

The Government has identified several more cases of the Indian Covid-19 variant. They have observed that it is highly transmissible but the data is still awaiting to be fairly reviewed. There is no evidence to suggest the current vaccines will not work against the new variant and at this point, the data does not show there is an increased risk of hospitalisations and fatalities among the over 60s from the new variant.

Following advice from the Joint Committee Vaccinations Immunisations (JCVI), the Government will be accelerating second doses to those over 50 and the clinically extremely vulnerable. They will also prioritise 1st doses for over 40s and continue to encourage uptake.

At this point, the Government does not believe that the announced easements will have to be changes but this will be kept under review subject to reviewing data.

The Prime Minister urged people to take their vaccine, use twice weekly rapid testing and comply with self-isolation if necessary as easements are made on Monday.

Business owners hoping to claim from the job retention scheme for last month's wages now have just days left to do so.

According to the Government website, the scheme is extended until September 30, 2021, but terms will change in the run up to this date.

Claims for furlough days in April 2021 must be made by May 14, 2021. You can no longer submit claims for claim periods ending on or before October 31, 2020.

Find out more

Public inquiry in spring 2022 

Published 13th May 2021

From Monday 17th of May the following easements will be made: 

• Up to 6 people or two households will be able to meet indoors, with advice to open windows for ventilation
• Gatherings of up to 30 people will be able to meet outdoors
• Indoor hospitality can reopen, including pubs, bars, and restaurants
• Everyone will be able to travel within Britain and stay overnight; hotels, hostels and B&Bs can reopen, and domestic stays will be allowed in groups of up to 6 people or two households

• The social distancing regulations between friends and family have been dropped, though people are advised to make safe choices and consider whether their loved ones have been vaccinated
• Otherwise, the social distancing guidelines remain in place: these regulations will still apply at work, in shops, and within indoor hospitality

The Prime Minister urged the public to exercise common sense when interacting with friends and family after social distancing is dropped.
Additionally, Professor Chris Whitty said the threat from new COVID-19 variants is ‘significantly reduced'; however, the India variant is ‘increasing but from very low levels'. All new variants are being closely monitored.

The current data shows that:

• Over 35,472,295 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine
• 2,357 people testing positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours
• There have been 4 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test in the past 24 hours.

Devolved nations timelines  

Published 29th April 2021

England

• 17th May - Indoor socialising will be allowed within the rule of six or two households, this also applies to hospitality. Groups seated outside must be smaller than 30 people.
• Before 21st June - Government social distancing review will take place before stage four on 21st June can commence.
• 21st June - Government hopes to remove all legal limits on social contact.
  

Wales

• 3rd May - Two households can socialise indoors as an extended household.
• 13th May - Three week review.
• 17th May - Indoor hospitality to reopen (subject to election result).
  

Scotland

• 17th May - Mainland Scotland moves to level two. Up to four people from two households can socialise indoors and six from three households outside in public places. Hospitality can reopen and sell alcohol indoors until 10.30pm.
• 7th June - Mainland Scotland moves to level one.
  

Reminder: Business Rates Reliefs

Published 29th April 2021

Business rates reliefs in England will be changing from 1st July. From this date, relief will be set at 66% for all convenience store properties with a cap of £105,000 on relief that can be claimed per business. Retailers currently receive 100% rates relief until 30th June. Councils have also been provided with business grant funding to distribute which retailers may wish to enquire about and retailers can choose to opt out of receiving relief via local councils. In Scotland and Wales, no business rates bills will be paid by retailers until April 2022.

Matt Hancock Press Conference

Published 28th April 2021

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock delivered a press conference this afternoon to update on the situation in India and vaccinations.

The current data shows that;

• Over 33,843,580 have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• 2,685 people testing positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
• There has been 17 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test in the past 24 hours.

The Health Secretary began by talking about the Covid situation in India, which is seeing soaring infections. The Government has sent more medical supplies to support India.

The Secretary announces that new data gives concrete evidence that vaccines do reduce transmissions in households and those who have had their first doses and contract Covid-19 are 50% less likely to pass on the disease in their household.

Matt Hancock also announced that the Government has secured an extra 60 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to help support a booster vaccination programme beginning in the autumn. Hancock celebrated the uptake of the vaccine and the progress the UK is making in its vaccine rollout.

The rules on what you need to do when a group enters your venue have changed. You must ask every customer or visitor to scan the NHS QR code using their NHS COVID-19 app, or provide their name and contact details, not just a lead member of the group.

This is to ensure that everyone receives the necessary public health advice in a timely manner.

Read the Government's guidance on NHS test and trace here

The latest information is below:

• There have been 2,524 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• In the last 24 hours, 33 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• The total number of UK doses of the coronavirus jab has now reached over 33.4 million and 10,425,790 people have had both doses of a vaccine

The Prime Minister said that he sees nothing in the data now which would mean that we have to deviate in any way from the roadmap, but we must continue to follow the guidelines as scientists are "firmly of the view there will be another wave of COVID at some stage this year".

He also announced the introduction of a new Antivirals Taskforce which will identify and deploy new effective treatments for Covid and the aim is to introduce treatments that can be taken as a tablet or capsule available as early as this Autumn. People would be able to take them at home following a positive test or exposure to the virus to reduce the chance of spreading the virus and speed up recovery time.

Dr Nikita Kanani said that the vaccination programme has met its first two targets and is going from strength to strength. She also urged the public to continue coming forward for their jabs when they are eligible and thanked those who have already had their vaccines.

The current data shows that;

• Over 32,932,448 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• In the last 24 hours, 4 people died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.
• 2,963 people tested positive in the past 24 hours.

The Health Secretary highlighted that given the current data, NHS efforts can now put into the vaccination programme as the hospitalisation Covid-19 patients has reduced significantly. Hancock also celebrated the uptake of the vaccinations, particularly within BAME communities and continued to encourage people to get their vaccinations when offered.

The Government are now also working on plans to offer booster shots of the vaccinations later this year. They are currently working with suppliers to work out which vaccines are suitable as a booster and can be used to mitigate the spread of new variants. The booster is important as it will help protect against new variants, but Hancock stressed we must remain vigilant still.

The Government have been piloting the pharmacy collect model for rapid testing and today it was confirmed that it will now be rolled out to over 9 in 10 pharmacies. This means everyone in England can collect free Covid-19 tests from their local pharmacy.

The Health Secretary spoke about the prevalence of new variants. He noted that around 2/3rds of these cases are related to international travel and have been detected during mandatory isolation testing. However, a small amount of community transmission has been detected and in turn surge testing has been deployed to control and mitigate the variants. Hancock urged everyone to get tested regularly through the Governments' extended testing offer and to attend surge testing if deployed in your local area.

Finally, Hancock spoke about a new variant has been detected from India and it has now been classified as a variant of concern. This means that unless you are a UK resident, you will not be able to travel to/from India until announced otherwise and those UK residents who must travel for essential purposes will have to complete mandatory isolation upon return to ensure the variant is not transmitted.

The lateral flow tests will be available to be picked up from local Covid-19 test sites from Friday.

Officials said they were also looking at making other locations available to collect self-test kits, as well as posting them out to individual homes.

Testing in schools will also be extended for all pupils from Year 7.

The Welsh government said the latest measures were an step forward in the fight against the virus, especially for those unable to carry out their jobs at home.

"It is hoped that improving the availability of lateral flow tests will make regular asymptomatic testing for coronavirus more convenient and accessible for people not covered under existing schemes at workplaces, childcare settings, schools, colleges and universities," an official said.

It follows an announcement by the UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier this month that two lateral flow kits a week would be offered to everyone in England.

Residents in "targeted areas" within the SE16 postcode in Southwark and N3 postcode in Barnet are being urged to get tested.

It comes after 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases were identified in Wandsworth and Lambeth.

All identified cases are isolating or have completed their isolation.

Testing has begun in the Rotherhithe ward of Southwark and Covid-19 tests are being delivered to properties in the immediate area.

Residents can also collect and drop off a Home Testing kit from Canada Water Library Theatre between 09:00 and 17:00 BST every day.

A temporary testing site is being opened at Deal Porter Square, next to the library.

Testing will begin in Barnet on Thursday after one confirmed case was identified in N3.

'Mix and match' UK Covid vaccine trial expanded

Published 14th April 2021 

A mix and match Covid vaccine trial is being expanded as we await the results of the first stage of the study. The UK trial is looking at whether two-jab vaccines can be mixed with different types. More than 800 people have so far taken part in the Com-Cov study, with the results expected next month. Experts are trying to find out whether combining vaccines might give broader, longer-lasting immunity against the virus and new variants of it, and also offer more flexibility for vaccine rollout. Health experts generally agree that mixing and matching vaccines such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs should be safe and the trial will check for any side-effects or unwanted reactions. If you're an adult over 50 who has had a first dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca you can apply to take part. 

Download the ActSmart COVID-19 Reopening Resources and Guidance Document 2021

With non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality reopening next week, Ministers have ensured that appropriate support is still available to businesses to protect jobs. From today, businesses - ranging from coffee shops and restaurants, to hairdressers and gyms - and can access loans varying in size from £25,000, up to a maximum of £10 million. Invoice and asset finance is available from £1,000.

Eligibility

You will be able to apply for a loan if your business:

• is trading in the UK

You will need to show that your business:

• is viable or would be viable were it not for the pandemic
• has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic
• is not in collective insolvency proceedings - further details will be provided in due course

Business that have received support under the existing COVID-19 guaranteed loan schemes will still be eligible to access finance under this scheme, if they meet all other eligibility criteria.

Full information can be found here.

Non-essential retail to reopen in Wales on April 12 

Published 7th April 2021  

Non-essential retail in Wales will be able to reopen from Monday, April 12, 2021, it has been confirmed.

First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the move at a press conference on Thursday, April 1, as he confirmed the road map to easing lockdown restrictions.

As in England, non-essential retail and close contact services such as hairdressers in Wales will reopen on April 12, although outdoor hospitality will not return until April 26.

In Scotland non-essential retailers will be closed until April 26, and Northern Ireland are yet to set an offical reopening date.

More information here.

Implementation of a workplace testing programme 

Published 31st March 2021  

The Government has produced the following guidance for employers which should be taken into account before testing is implemented:

Guidance, Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing: guidance for employers and third-party healthcare providers

This guidance advises employers to:

• Consider the scope of any testing programme, including who will be tested, frequency of testing, arrangements for individuals who refuse to be tested and how test results will be used.
• Think about how they intend to communicate with staff about the testing programme. Employers are "strongly advised" to consult with staff associations or unions before implementing any policy.
• Be aware of their data protection obligations in processing data and how they will communicate to staff how personal data will be used.

The guidance advises that any individual identified as a contact through such an internal system (as opposed to NHS Test and Trace) will not quality for SSP but instead should be allowed to work from home if possible. Where that is not possible the guidance advises that individuals may be entitled to full pay unless their employment contract provides otherwise.

Other issues you will need to consider are whether you will operate an internal tracing system to identify those during their employment who may have come into contact with an employee who has tested positive as a result of the testing programme.

Hands, Face, Space and Fresh Air

Published 31st March 2021 

The Government has introduced a new national ‘Hands, Face, Space and Fresh Air' message as easements to lockdown begin.

A specific focus is being placed on fresh air as people are allowed to meet outdoors in groups of 6 or 2 households in England. Air flow and ventilation is important as research shows it reduces the transmission of the virus considerably. Health and Safety Executive guidance on ventilation and air conditioningduring Covid-19 details how businesses can improve ventilation within their premises. Thiscan be done through natural ventilation such as through windows, doors and air vents ormechanical ventilation such as fans. Ventilation could be considered within Covid-19 risk assessments, alongside other measures such as social distancing and face coverings to reduce risks of transmission in store.

Non-Essential Opening Hours Extension Announced

Published 31st March 2021 

The Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP has confirmed the extension of nonessential retail opening hours. The extension allows shops to have the flexibility to open until 10pm Monday to Saturday. This intends to ensure the safe re-opening of nonessential shops by giving people greater flexibility to avoid peak shopping hours. Nonessential retail is expected to re-open from 12th April, as detailed in the Government's roadmap.

MHCLG: Extended opening hours to continue when non-essential retail returns

Coronavirus Act Extended

Published 31st March 2021 

MPs have voted to extend the Coronavirus Act 2020 for another six months. The legislation passed by 484 votes to 76, a majority of 408. The Coronavirus Act was introduced in March 2020 to bring in emergency powers in response to the pandemic. The legislation has now been extended until the end of September and can now provide a legal path for the Government's current reopening roadmap. The Coronavirus Act has allowed the introduction of measures like the Job Retention Scheme, Sick Pay Support Scheme and SelfEmployment Income Support Scheme. 

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has detailed several measures to support the re-opening of retail and high streets this summer. A £56 million Welcome Back Fund has been announced to help councils increase tourism, improve green spaces and provide more outdoor seating as well as markets to provide more opportunity for safe outside socialisation. The funding can also be invested by councils into the appearance of high streets, installing signage for social distancing and running publicity campaigns to support local businesses. The announcement also confirmed the first 72 councils that will benefit from the Governments' £350 million Future High Streets Fund. This will provide expert advise to councils on how to improve high streets to meet changing consumer demand. The extension of non-essential retail opening hours has been confirmed, allowing shops to have the flexibility to open until 10pm Monday to Saturday.

MHCLG: New raft of measures to prepare our high streets and seaside resorts for summer
MHCLG: Extended opening hours to continue when non-essential retail returns

LIBOR is commonly referenced in both financial contracts, such as loans or deposit facilities, and non-financial contracts such as commercial leasing contracts and the discount rate for valuations.

Why do firms need to transition from LIBOR?

Firms need to transition away from using LIBOR because firms cannot rely on it being available beyond 2021. Since the global financial crisis in 2008-09, activity in the markets that LIBOR measures has reduced. The low volume of underlying transactions means that LIBOR is no longer sustainable.

There are other more robust rates, including the Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) benchmark, which the Bank of England produces.

What does my firm need to do now?

It is important that your firm is ready to move its LIBOR-referencing contracts to alternative rates (like SONIA) in time.

Market participants are working with the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority to support this transition by the end of 2021.

The Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates leads this work in sterling markets, with support from the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority.

It has held a number of webinars, and publishes guidance and support for both financial and non-financial firms to help them with the transition.

You can also read the Working Group's priorities and roadmap for transition by end-2021.

Resources for firms

Visit the Bank of England website here for resources provide further information on the transition from LIBOR and set out why you need to act now to minimise disruption at the end of 2021.

The current data finds that;

• Over 27,997,976 people have now received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• In the last 24 hours, 5,342 people have tested positive with Covid-19.
• Sadly, 17 people have died in the last 24 hours within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

The Prime Minister thanked the nation for their discipline and patience during this time with particular thanks given to key workers including those in health and social care and shopworkers.

The Prime Minister confirmed that we are still on target to vaccinate all JCVI groups by the 15th April and all UK adults by the end of July.

Professor Chris Whitty confirmed that the national lockdown and vaccination programme has successfully reduced the number of fatalities from Covid-19 and as the vaccine continues to be administered, it will continue to significantly reduce the number of people that contract Covid-19 and sadly loose life due to it.

Dr June Raine outlined that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that the public can have every confidence in the MHRA's review of the AstraZeneca jab and that no ‘causal' link between the jab and blood clots has been found, but there will be a further review of any possible link. The European Medicines Agency has said that the AstraZeneca is a ‘safe and effective jab' and is not linked to an increased risk in blood clots.

Professor Chris Whitty said that the MHRA have laid out an "incredibly small potential risk" of vaccines against "the really very substantial protections these vaccines give".

Published 17th March 2021

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock delivered a press conference this afternoon on the success of the vaccination programme and the protection vaccinations provide.  

The current data shows that;

• Over 25,273,226 people have now received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination.
• 5,758 people have tested positive with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
• Average case rate is 59.5 per 100,000 people.
• The R rate is currently between 0.6 to 0.8 with a daily infection growth rate range of -7% to -4%.
• Sadly, 141 people have died in the past 24 hours within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

The Health Secretary shared new data findings on those with Covid-19 antibodies from the vaccination. The data shows that around 90% of people aged 70+ have these antibodies and this continues to increase which signifies the extent of protection those vaccinated will have.

Hancock noted that after a single dose of either Covid-19 vaccine will provide protection from transmission of around 60%, 80% against hospitalisation and 85% against risk of death. It has also now been found that, if you live with someone who is vaccinated you have a 30% decreased risk in contracting Covid-19, which is aiding a break in transmission.

The Secretary announced that the Government is extending the vaccination offer from today, meaning all over 50s are invited to come forward to get a vaccination. The Government will contact people but also invite people to sign up via NHS's online vaccination portal. The Government is currently still prioritising JCVI groups 1-9 who have not come forward for their vaccines before concluding phase 1 of the programme.

Professor Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Office provided clarity on the recent media speculation of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccination and its apparent association with blood clots. He confirmed that the European regulator and UK regulator (MHRA) do not believe and have no evidence to suggest the AZ vaccine causes increased risk of blood clots. He added that studies are being conducted to address the accusations but the evidence found so far does not suggest it will provide blood clots but in fact save lives from Covid-19.

Published 17th March 2021

Take your business to the next level with the government's new Help to Grow programme. The programme will help small and medium sized businesses across the UK learn new skills, reach new customers and boost profits.

You could get:

• an Executive Development programme that could help you improve business performance and growth potential through Help to Grow: Management
  
• free online advice and money off software that could help you save time and cut costs through Help to Grow: Digital

Meanwhile, the digital course will offer businesses free, impartial advice, as well as a discount of up to 50% on the costs of approved software, worth up to £5,000. Vouchers are initially expected to be available for software that helps businesses:

• build customer relationships and increase sales
  
• make the most of selling online
  
• manage their accounts and finances digitally

• A £50,000 grant for large businesses unable to access grant funding during the first lockdown;
  
• A £25,000 payment to manufacturing businesses unable to access grant funding during the first lockdown; and
  
• Top-up payments of £5,000 and £10,000 for businesses which received grants during the first lockdown but are not eligible for one of the current Executive support schemes.

The government in Northern Ireland made the decision to extend rates relief until next March as part of measures to support businesses through recovery from the pandemic.

On March 15, Finance Minister, Conor Murphy announced £178 million in new business support grants.

Read the full statement here.

Wales and England extend rent moratorium until end of June 

Published 17th March 2021

The Welsh Government has extended its rent moratorium - preventing tennants from being evicted for non-payment - until the end of June

Following the decision, the Welsh Government said: "While businesses should continue to pay rent wherever possible, the latest measure will ensure no business is forced out of its premises if it misses a payment between now and the end of June this year. The move will help ease the burden on a range of sectors, including retail and hospitality, at what continues to be an incredibly challenging period of time."

Read the full Welsh statement here, or the statement from the Government in England here.

Free rapid flow testing for all businesses

Published 17th March 2021

All businesses, regardless of the number of employees, can now access free rapid flow Covid-19 tests, the Government has announced.

As part of the Government's roadmap to cautiously lift restrictions, businesses of all sizes, including those with fewer than 50 employees, can register to order free lateral flow tests for their employees.

Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus don't have symptoms, which means they could be spreading the virus in workplaces without knowing. Rapid testing detects cases quickly - in under 30 minutes - meaning positive cases can isolate immediately, breaking chains of transmission.

Businesses have until March 31, 2021, to register for the Government's workplace testing scheme, which will remain free until the end of June.

Register now

The current data shows that there are an average of 41 cases per 100,000 people which is the lowest rate since mid-Sept 2020.

The First Minister highlighted that the current Covid-19 situation is improving and continued to set out the next easements expected in Wales.

The current easements timeframe is as follows;

Saturday 13th March - Stay at home rule changes to stay local and 4 people from 2 households are allowed to meet outdoors and in private gardens.

Monday 15th March - All primary pupils and those in qualifications years will return. Schools will have the flexibility to bring year 10 and 12 learners back and more learners will return to colleges.

Monday 22nd March - Non-essential retail will start re-opening gradually as the restrictions are lifted on what can be sold in shops which are currently open. Garden centres will also be able to open.

Saturday 27th March - If the Public Health situation continues to improve, the Stay Local guidelines will be lifted. In addition, the tourism sector can begin opening with self-contained accommodation re-opening, organised outdoor activity resuming and libraries re-opening.

Monday 12th April - All students will return back to school and all shops, including all close contact service will reopen.

The First Minister also announced an additional £150 million to support businesses affected by ongoing restrictions. This is a top up to the current non-domestic rates holidays by only for non-essential retail, hospitality and leisure that cannot re-open. Mark Drakeford also noted the extension of the business rates holiday for the whole of the next financial year which applies to all retail, leisure and hospitality announced earlier in the week.

Finally, the First Minister stressed the Welsh Government is taking a phased, careful and cautious approach. Stating that if we all continue to work together and follow rules, he hopes we can make further easements at each review period during the spring; this will include the consideration of outdoor hospitality and gyms for example.

The Prime Minister hailed today as a ‘big and emotional day' on the first step on our way back to freedom the return of schools and he said that we can take this first step of the roadmap confidently, with one third of the UK population now vaccinated. As of today, outdoor recreation or exercise with your household or one other person is allowed.

Dr Jenny Harries said that the case rate continues to fall across the country, but stressed the importance of sticking to the rules of ‘hands, face and space' to ensure that these numbers continue to fall.

The plan will see each sector of the economy move along a five-step scale, after Stormont ministers approved the strategy on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

It is understood the plan focuses on nine key areas - retail; hospitality; education and young people; work; culture, heritage and entertainment; sports and leisure; travel and tourism; worship and ceremonies; home and community.

Each will emerge from lockdown in stages and no specific dates have yet been set. Northern Ireland's lockdown and accompanying stay-at-home message is currently in place until April 1.

Ministers have already made clear the blueprint will be led by data, not dates, with decisions on when to move between stages based on scientific and medical evidence, not the calendar.

Ministers will review the progress of the pathway at set points, understood to be every four weeks.

The announcement followed the Budget yesterday when the Chancellor declared businesses in England would have full rrates relilef until June, then pay a reduced amount until next March.

However, the Welsh Government has followed Scottish Parlaiment's decision to give retailers 100% rates relief for a full year to boost recover from the pandemic.

The relief will be applied to any business with an rateable value of up to £500,000, it was said.

Read the full announcement from the Welsh Government here.

Matt Hancock Press Conference

The current data shows that;

• In the last 24 hours, 8,523 people have tested positive for Covid-19.
• There have been 345 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
• 1,117 people have been admitted to hospital with Covid-19.
• Over 19,177,555 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination.

The Heath Secretary announced, following significant analysis of Covid-19 data, all 4 UK chief medical offers have agreed to lower the Covid-19 alert level from 5 to 4. Level 4 does still mean there is significant pressure on the NHS but reflects that the number of cases is falling sufficiently.

Matt Hancock updated on the vaccination programme, stating that we will gradually be able to replace national restrictions with protection form the vaccine. He highlighted that 35% of all UK adults have now received a first dose of the vaccine.

It was announced that this week, 10 more vaccination centres are being opened joining the network of diversified premises who host a vaccination clinic to support the roll out. In addition, todays data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 94% of adults say they have either received the vaccine or they intend to do so.

The Health Secretary announced that the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) has published their interim report for the next phase of vaccinations. The report recommends that vaccine roll out should follow an age based approach in 3 stages;
1) 40-49 years (JCVI group 10)
2) 30-39 years (JCVI group 11)
3) 18-29 years (JCVI group 12)

The UK Government has confirmed this is how the vaccine will be distributed after the April 15th target for JCVI groups 5-9 is met.

Finally, the Health Secretary and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Van-Tam reiterated the pandemic is still on going and the stay at home rules are still in place to be followed. They exemplified that the rate of Covid-19 is not decreasing at a stable rate in some places and 1 in 5 local authorities areas have actually seen a rise in cases in the last week.

Special highlights include the 12th April (at the earliest) will be the re-opening of:

• All Retail
• Indoor Climbing Walls
• Outdoor Attractions
• Self contained holiday accommodation (as per Government guideline 108 - Overnight stays away from home in this country will be permitted (in) self-contained accommodation - those that do not require shared use of bathing, entry/exit, catering or sleeping facilities - can (also) reopen, though must only be used by members of the same household.

 

The Scottish First Minister updated on the vaccination programme, confirming that first doses aim to be offered to everyone on JCVI priority list by mid April, including everyone over 50. It was confirmed that first doses will also be offered to the entire adult population by end of July. Nicola Sturgeon reiterated that everyone shielding list has now been offered a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine but regardless of receiving it, clinically extremely vulnerable people should still follow current advice here.

The First Minister set out a ‘cautious careful and patient' plan for easing lockdown restrictions. Sturgeon noted that further discussions and details are to take place and be set out in the next few weeks with the Government aiming to publish a more detailed plan in Mid-March with indicators on how decisions on easements will be made. There will be a minimum of 3 weeks between each stage of easements to ensure data can be reviewed and easements can be made in confidence.

22nd February - Partial returns of schools with children in early years, primary years 1-3 and some secondary students who require practical education for qualifications.

15th March - Next phase of school returns with primary years 4-7 and secondary students. There are also plans to restart non-contact support for 12-17 yrs and increase outdoor mixing of 4 people from 2 households.

3- 5th April - Stay at home restrictions will be officially lifted. Final phase of school returns, communal worship will return with restricted numbers. Household gatherings outdoors with 6 people from 2 households. There will also be re-opening of retail with an extension of the current essential retail definition and lifting of restrictions on click and collect services.

26th April - The Government hopes to move back to a levelled system and aims to move all current level 4 areas to level 3.

The First Minister highlighted that the Scottish Government is confident the new timetable leading to late April is reasonable and will allow for further re-opening of the economy from April and into the summer; this would include other non-essential retail, hospitality and close contact services. The Scottish Government is currently monitoring the rates of Covid-19 and the vaccination programme to ensure the data supports further easements.

Finally, Nicola Sturgeon has urged the public to continue to comply with the stay at home rules and only leave home for essential reasons.

PM Covid-19 Roadmap 22.02.21 

Published 22nd February 2021

This afternoon the Prime Minister addressed the House of Commons to set out the roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions to transition towards a more normal life. Boris Johnson stated that the roadmap sets out a cautious and irreversible approach for England only, and the Government continues to work closely with devolved administrations.

The Governments' COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021 roadmap is available here.

The current data shows that;

• Over 17,582,000m people have now received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
• In the last 24 hours, 9,834 people have tested positive for Covid-19.
• Sadly, there has been 215 deaths related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

Boris Johnson highlighted that the freedom from restrictions is only made possible by the pace and uptake of the vaccination programme. The Government therefore aims to offer 1st dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to JCVI priority groups 5-9 by the end of April and to every adult by end of July. The Prime Minister stated that the protection of a vaccine will replace the restrictions.

The four-part plan set out by the Prime Minister is driven by data on the following steps;

1. The success of the vaccine rollout
2. The number of hospital admissions and deaths falling
3. The amount of pressure on the NHS
4. The impact of any variants.

Stage 1
8th March - All schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed. Recreation in a public space will be allowed between two people, meaning they would be allowed to sit down for a coffee, drink or picnic.

29th March - Outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed, including gatherings in private gardens. From this date, people will be no longer legally required to stay at home but should work from home if they can and try not to travel. Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis or basketball courts will reopen and organised adult and children's sport will return.

Stage 2
12th April - All non-essential retail will reopen, along with close contact services such as hairdressers. Hospitality can reopen providing an outdoor service only and there will be no requirement for alcohol with a ‘substantive' meal. There will also be no curfew requirement.

Stage 3
17th May- All restrictions on meeting outdoors will be lifted (subject to a limit of 30 people) and up to two households can meet indoors. Hospitality can resume indoors and sports stadiums will reopen.

Stage 4
June 21st - All restrictions will be lifted and testing will be used to reduce transmission in situations such as live music events.

The Prime Minister has stated there will be "at least" five weeks between each of the four steps to ensure easements are driven by secure data.

The Government is also launching a series of reviews to explore further ways of easing limits;

• 1st review will look at whether having a vaccine or a negative test result can reduce restrictions on social contact.
• 2nd review will pilot the impact of testing and reduced social distancing on events.
• 3rd review will look at travel. International travel will not resume before 17 May, but a report on 12 April will look at how to facilitate more inbound and outbound travel.
• 4th review will review social distancing measures, such as the one-metre-plus rule, rules on face coverings and working from home. This will conclude ahead of 21 June.

Finally, The Prime Minister announced that the provision of providing free testing kits will be extended until June, with small businesses able to collect testing kits from local testing sites.

The Government's four stage plan will be subject to parliamentary approval in the coming weeks.

Business Rates Review Delayed

Published 22nd February 2021

The Government has delayed the conclusion of its fundamental business rates review from the 3rd March Budget  until the Autumn. An interim report will now be published on 23rd March alongside other tax-related consultations. The Treasury states the delay is to allow the review to conclude when there is more clarity on the long-term state of the economy.

Further £650 million funding boost for Covid-19 response in Wales 

Published 19th February 2021

The UK Government has provided the Welsh Government with an additional £650 million to support people, businesses and public services affected by coronavirus.

This funding brings the total allocated through the Barnett formula to the Welsh Government since the start of the pandemic to £5.85 billion.

In recognition of the exceptional circumstances and in response to calls for flexibility, the Welsh Government will be able to carry over any of the £650 million not spent this year into the 2021/22 financial year on top of their existing tools to transfer funding between years.

Scotland announces business rates holiday extension until April 2022 

Published 17th February 2021

Scottish Government Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has updated the Scottish Parliament on developments with the Scottish Budget 2021-22.

Forbes announced plans to extend 100% business rates relief for all retailers to cover all of 2021/22. This follows a commitment to provide additional relief if finance from the UK Government allowed. An application process will be required to access the relief from local councils, which will be light-touch and used to not provide relief to retailers which do not want it after some repaid relief monies earlier in the pandemic.

More information can be found here.

Update: Community Testing Location Checker

Published 17th February 2021

The Government has launched a tool which retailers can use to explore where local community testing is available. Local councils are now offering community testing for those who cannot work from home. The tool can be used to check which councils are offering community testing, eligibility for testing and where to get a test. The current Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) guidance is for grocery retailers to contact local authorities directly to access community testing which is now available in over 190 areas. Information on community testing will be available on the local authority's website, which the tool will direct you to. The current Government information on community testing is available here.

Lockdown Extended in Scotland

Published 17th February 2021

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP has updated the Scottish Parliament with no immediate changes to lockdown restrictions announced. This means the national lockdown will remain in place until at least March. The First Minister has indicated the lifting of restrictions will be more cautious than previous lockdowns due to the presence of more transmissible variants, now seen in over 80% of new cases. One-quarter (28%) of the Scottish population ha now been vaccinated, with vaccinations offered to all over-70's and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals by the mid-February target. The First Minister emphasised that the vaccine takes two-to-three weeks to take effect and there is limited understanding about impacts on transmission.

Vaccine Plan Published

Published 17th February 2021

The Government has published its new vaccine uptake plan, designed to help boost vaccine uptake in all communities across the UK. The plan is based on existing local initiatives that have been successful in increasing vaccine take up and has four enablers: working in partnership, removing barriers to access, data and information, and conversations and engagement. The Government is partnering with directors of public health, charities and the faith sector to ensure equal access, including translating resources into thirteen languages. The Government is piloting different ways to improve access for those who must miss work to attend an appointment or are concerned about transport costs, including working with large retailers to offer free parking. Vaccination uptake has exceeded government expectations of 75% uptake with over 90% of care home residents and over-75- year-olds choosing to be vaccinated.

Surge Testing Locations Update

Published 17th February 2021

Surge testing is now live in TS7-TS8 in Middlesbrough, WS2 in Walsall and RG26 in Hampshire after variants of Covid-19 have been identified in these areas. Surge testing is increased testing and enhanced contact tracing, deployed to understand Covid-19 variants and their spread. Colleagues and the general public are strongly encouraged to take a test. Those with symptoms should book a test in the usual way while those without symptoms should follow council website advice. As essential workers, colleagues can continue to go to work as normal. Surge testing in Egham and Broxbourne is now complete. The full list of areas subject to surge testing and further guidance is available via the Department for Health and Social Care guidance.

DHSC: Surge testing to be deployed in areas of Middlesbrough, Walsall, and Hampshire in connection to new variant
 

Prime Minister press conference 

Published 15th February 2021

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, delivered a press conference this afternoon confirming that the target of vaccinating the top four priority groups has been reached.

Today's data shows the following;

• There has been 9,765 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed.
• Sadly, there has been 230 new deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

The Prime Minister announced that the Government has met their vaccination target with 15,300,151 people receiving the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination. The Prime Minister thanked everyone involved for the effort needed to meet this target.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the threat for the virus still remains, with 60% of hospital patients with Covid-19 are under 70 years old. There is also still uncertainty around the data providing information on how the vaccinations mitigate transmission of Covid-19. The Prime Minister also announced that letters have now been issued to over 65s, those between 16-64yrs with underlying conditions and carers to receive vaccinations.

The Government aims to have vaccines administered to everyone in first 9 priority groups and everyone over 50 by the end of April.

Simon Stevens, Chief Executive Officer of the NHS set out the vaccination plan for over the next 11 weeks to meet the new April target.

1. Vaccinate top four groups - He urged all those in this category to come forward for a vaccination.
2. Make sure people get second dose - From early to mid-March, people should attend the same place where they received their first vaccination.
3. Extend the vaccination offer to a larger group of people- Letters have been sent to those eligible in the next wave of vaccinations which can be given at large sites or local pharmacies. A focus for GPs is placed on clinically vulnerable people.

Simon Stevens reminded the public to wait for the NHS to get in contact to you for a vaccination.

Finally, on Monday 22nd February, the Prime Minister is expected to set out the roadmap out of lockdown restrictions. He highlighted that the current lockdown is hoped to be the last but progress in relaxation of restrictions must be cautious and irreversible.

Important Covid-19 Dates

Published 11th February 2021

England:

15th February All top 4 JCVI priority groups to be vaccinated
22nd February Next UK Government Review and publication of roadmap out of restrictions
8th March Earliest expected date schools will begin to re open
31st March Parliamentary vote scheduled for confirmation of Covid restriction measures

Wales:

19th February Next Welsh Government Review
19th February/Half term Schools to remain closed until at least then

Scotland:

16th February (exp) Next Scottish Government Review
W/C 22nd February Phased return of early years, childcare & senior school 

Surge Testing

Published 11th February 2021

The UK Government has partnered with CureVac to develop new vaccines which target variants if required. Both existing vaccines appear to work against existing variants.

Surge testing allows authorities to quickly understand the
characteristics and implications of new variants:

• Additional surge testing is being deployed to parts of Hertfordshire, London, Manchester, Surrey, Bristol and the West Midlands, where variants have been found.
• Colleagues in targeted areas are encouraged to take a test this week, regardless of symptoms.
• Colleagues as essential workers can continue to go to work as normal.
• Surge testing in Kent is now complete.

Prime Minister Press Conference

Published 10th February 2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a press conference this evening alongside chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. The latest information is below:

• There have been 13,013 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• In the last 24 hours, 1,001 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• Figures show that over 13 million people in the UK have now received the first dose of the vaccine

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that there was no doubt that we have made great strides to hit the target of vaccinating the top four most vulnerable groups by the target date of 15th February but there are still many people that need to be reached, urging those who have not yet taken up their offer of a vaccine to do so as soon as possible.

Chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance says the peak is coming back down but ‘numbers still remain high'.

 

Bounce back loan borrowers can delay repayments by extra six months

Published 10th February 2021

Businesses that took out government-backed Bounce Back Loans to get through Covid-19 will now have greater flexibility to repay their loans, the government announced today (8 February).

Bounce Back Loan borrowers will now have the option to tailor payments according to their individual circumstances, with the option to delay all repayments for a further six months - meaning businesses can choose to make no payments on their loans until 18 months after they originally took them out.

Pay as You Grow scheme

The Pay as You Grow scheme will be available to more than 1.4 million businesses, which collectively took out nearly £45 billion through the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Pay as You Grow will also enable borrowers to extend the length of their loans from six to 10 years (reducing monthly repayments by almost half) and make interest-only payments for six months, in order to tailor their repayment schedule to suit their individual circumstances.

This is in addition to the Government covering the costs of interest for the first year of the loan.

Lenders will begin to contact borrowers to provide information on repayment schedules and how to access flexible repayment options.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: "We're giving Bounce Back Loan borrowers breathing space to get back on their feet, through greater flexibility and time to repay their loans on their terms."

Read the Government's full statement here.

Health Secretary press conference

Published 9th February 2021

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock delivered a press conference last night updating on the vaccination and testing programmes.

The current data is:

• 14,104 positive cases were recorded across the UK yesterday.
  
• There are 29,326 people in hospital with covid-19.
  
• The average deaths per day over the past week have been 841.

The Health Secretary announced that there has now been more than 12.2m people vaccinated. He also highlighted the successful take up of the vaccine. A first dose has been given to; 91% of over-80's, 95% of 75-79 year olds and 75% of 70-74 year olds.

The Health Secretary reiterated that the NHS and local authorities are working hard to reach remaining people in these at risk groups and that the Government is on track to vaccinate the top four priority groups by 15th February.

From today, Hancock encouraged those aged 70 and above living in England, who have not yet confirmed an appointment to be vaccinated, to contact the NHS. This can be done via the national booking service online, calling 119 or contacting a GP. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, local health teams shall be in touch.

On the testing programme, there are currently 4.5m tests a week on average being conducted. Hancock announced that the Government has joined with Derby-based manufacturer SureScreen to deliver 20m rapid flow tests to be used as part of the asymptomatic testing programme.

From yesterday, the Government announced the expansion of the offer of regular workplace testing to businesses with more than 50 staff in sectors that are still open. ACS continues to work with DEFRA and DHSC to secure further guidance and access to community testing for retailers where the current workplace offer is not appropriate.

Hancock spoke about the important work being carried out to tackle new variants; including genomic sequencing and tougher border measures. From current evidence, these actions are tackling new variants and the Government is working with existing vaccine providers to create boosters for variants.

Update: Business Rates Relief in Scotland

Published 5th February 2021COVID-19 Resources

We have gained clarification from the Scottish Government surrounding the business rates relief application process. The Scottish Budget extended 100% business rates relief for three months until the end of June 2021. The application process will allow retailers to opt out from the relief if they wish to and further details are expected in March after the 3rd March UK Budget. The Scottish Government has committed to match equivalent policies from the UK Government so this is subject to change. ACS continues to call for an extension of Covid-19 business rates relief.
 

Prime Minister press conference

Published 3rd February 2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a press conference this evening alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. The latest information is below:

• There have been 19,202 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
  
• In the last 24 hours, 1,322 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
  • Figures show that 10 million people in the UK have now received the first dose of the vaccine, those vaccinated include almost 90% of over-75s

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that in the days leading up to the 22nd February review point the Government will be looking closely at the data, including the success of the vaccine rollout, in order to develop a roadmap out of the restrictions. He also stressed that the level of infection remains alarmingly high, with 32,000 people still in hospital.

The Prime Minister confirmed that there will be a "national clap" for Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died yesterday aged 100, and health workers at 6pm this evening.

Non-essential retailers in Wales reminded to apply for support 

Published 3rd February 2021

Retail businesses impacted by lockdown restrictions in Wales are being reminded to apply for a slice of £340 million cash fund.

Business Wales is reminding retailers to apply for the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF)'s Restrictions Business Fund.

It was set up specifically to help hospitality, non-essential retail, tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses, which are impacted by the current restrictions.

Businesses will need to register their details, as well as making a short on-line application to their respective local authority for the discretionary elements. The fund includes two different grants.

Find out if you are eligible here.

More from Business Wales here.

Scottish Cabinet Review of Covid-19 Restrictions

The Secretary announced that 9.2 million adults in the UK have now received a vaccination. Hancock highlighted that over the weekend, 931,204 adults received a vaccination which is 1 in 60 adults. Ahead of the 15th February top 4 priority group, Hancock confirmed that 9 in 10 of all over 80s in UK and over half of 70s have now received a vaccine. This is in addition to all residents and staff of all eligible care homes who have now been offered a vaccination.

Matt Hancock also updated on the supply of vaccinations. The UK Government have now secured 100 million doses of the Valneva vaccination which is currently undergoing the approval process. This means the UK has now secured early access to over 400 million total doses of vaccines for 2021 and 2022. This is more than needed to protect every UK citizen and the Secretary confirmed that the UK will support international partners and their vaccination programmes with UK supply.

Finally, the new South African variant has been identified in the UK, in 11 of the cases it has been identified without the person having any travel connections. As a result, the Government is now rolling out enhanced testing in the areas where the variant has been identified and instructed people in the following postcodes to isolate and get a test; W7, N17 and CR4 in London, WS2 in Walsall, West Midlands, ME15 in Maidstone, Kent, PR9 in Southport, Merseyside, EN10 in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire and GU21 in Woking, Surrey.

More than 8.9 million customers have already filed their tax return. HMRC is encouraging anyone who has not yet filed their tax return to do so by 31 January, if possible.

But anyone who cannot file their return by the 31 January deadline will not receive a late filing penalty if they file online by 28 February.

Taxpayers are still obliged to pay their bill by 31 January. Interest will be charged from 1 February on any outstanding liabilities. Customers can pay online, or via their bank, or by post before they file. More information on how to pay is at GOV.UK.

Prime minister Covid-19 Press Conference 27.01.21 

Published 27th January 2021

This afternoon the Prime Minister has held a press conference to set out milestones for the re-opening schools and reviewing lockdown measures.

The latest Covid-19 data shows that;

• There are 25,308 new cases of Covid-19 identified.
• There have been 1,725 new deaths due to Covid-19 in last 24 hours.
• Current ONS data finds that 1 in 55 people are infected with Covid-19.
• 6.8 million people have been vaccinated 13% of the entire adult population.

The Prime Minister announced that schools are now expected to reopen from Monday 8th March. This is due to the Government needing to see the continuation of a successful vaccination roll out programme and the impact this has on the current mortality rates. Alongside this, the Government has announced the extension of free school meals to vulnerable children via both food parcels and national voucher scheme.

In a statement to Parliament earlier today, the Prime Minister outlined that the Government will start reviewing lockdown measures and intends to set out the results of that review and publish a plan for taking the country out of lockdown on the w/c commencing 22nd February. The Prime Minister outlined that the Government's aim is to set out a gradual and phased approach towards easing the restrictions in a sustainable way, subject to the continued success of the vaccination programme, the capacity of the NHS, and on deaths falling. The full statement is available here.

• There have been 20,089 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
  
• In the last 24 hours, 1,631 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
  
• Figures show that a total of 6,853,327 has received the first dose of the vaccine and 472,446 have received the second dose

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the UK death toll from coronavirus has passed 100,000, according to government figures. He promised to commemorate the emergency services workers and "small acts of kindness" by the population as a whole once the crisis is over.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty noted that the most recent 7-day average is 1,242 deaths, so it is important that the nation continues to follow social distancing measures.

The current data shows that;

• Over the last 7 days on average, the number of new positive cases per day is 37,258.
• There are currently 37,899 people in hospital with Covid-19 which includes 4,076 people on ventilators.
• Today, there were 592 deaths reported.

The Health Secretary highlighted that there are early signs the actions the national lockdown is working and urged people to continue their efforts.

Matt Hancock announced that as of last night (24.01.21), 78.8% of all over 80s have received a Covid-19 vaccine. There is now a total of 6.6 million adults vaccinated and the NHS is currently administering 250 vaccinations per minute. Hancock acknowledged that the limiting factor in the vaccine roll out is the supply of the vaccine, but the Government is confident that the NHS will be able to deliver every vaccination provided to them.

This morning, a further 32 large scale vaccination centres opened. This will greatly support and increase the capacity for vaccinations to be administered. In addition, the Government is giving further funding to local councils to enhance efforts to engage those who are hardest to reach through the Community Champions programme.

Finally, the Health Secretary reiterated concerns of the Chief Medical Officers who have strongly advised that even those who have received the vaccination should comply with national measures. This is because you can still contract the virus until both doses are received and the research is not yet concluded surrounding if you can still carry and pass on the vaccine to others.

• There have been 40,261 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• In the last 24 hours, 1,401 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• The UK's R number (the rate of reproduction of the virus) is reported to have fallen to 0.8 - 1.0, down from 1.2 - 1.3 previously
• A first dose of the vaccine has been administered to 5,383,103 people in the UK, including 409,855 yesterday

The Prime Minister updated on the impact of the new variant of the Covid-19 virus, noting that it is likely that the new variant has a higher mortality rate. Despite this, the Prime Minister said that vaccines remain effective against both the original strain of the virus and the new variants. The PM noted that the UK is still on track to reach its goal of offering a vaccine to everyone in the four highest priority groups by mid-February.

Prof. Chris Whitty noted that the figures suggest that there are initial signs of a flattening of the curve when it comes to the overall number of people in hospital, as well as the number of people that are infected with Covid-19, although this remains very high.

Sir Patrick Valance updated on the new strain of the virus, noting that the new UK strain identified late last year transmits between 30% and 70% more easily than the original variant. Sir Patrick also updated on the potential for the new strain to present an increased risk of mortality, although the data on this strain is still uncertain and that the potential mortality rate is around 13/14 in 1000 for the new strain compared with 10 in 1000 for the original variant.

Following today's Supreme Court ruling tens of thousands of small businesses will receive insurance payouts covering losses from the first national lockdown.

It is important to note that while this is certainly a victory for many small businesses, this does not now mean that all insurers are required to start paying out. The insurance payout is entirely dependent on the clarity of the policy wording. The case put forward to the Supreme Court was against a small number of insurers and specific policy wordings.

Whilst the case evaluated was a ‘test' case, there is now hope that other insurers with the same/similar wordings will feel that they should also follow the ruling- for both good conscience and to avoid individual litigation.

Read the full story here.

• There have been 45,533 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• In the last 24 hours, 1,243 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• Over 45,000 fixed penalty notices have been issued to people who have been unwilling to follow the Covid regulations

The Home Secretary stated that a minority of people are putting the health of the nation at risk by not following the rules. In response, the Government is talking to local councils about the role that they should be playing in enforcing the Covid-19 regulations. The Home Secretary also noted that police are also moving more quickly to issue fines.

The Home Secretary said that her message is simple: "If you do not play your part, the police will enforce the regulations and I will back them to do so, to protect the NHS and to save lives."

Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council added that there are too many people who are choosing not to comply with the regulations. He also said that there would be more officers on patrol looking to ensure that people follow the rules.

The current data shows;

• 46,169 confirmed positive cases yesterday
• 32,294 currently in hospital with Covid-19 (increase of 22% on this time last week)
• Average number of deaths per day is currently 926

Matt Hancock stressed that we are currently at the worst point in the pandemic so far, urging the nation to follow the rules as strictly as possible.

The Health Secretary was pleased to say that the vaccine roll out is proceeding at pace and the Government's aim is to deliver this as fast as is safely possible. So far, 2.6 million doses have been given to 2.3 million people across the UK.

The Health Secretary set out the details of UK's Covid-19 Vaccination Delivery Plan published today. This plan describes how the Government are able to build up a supply of vaccines and how they are planning to deploy them. The plan centres around 4 key areas; supply, prioritisation, expansion and people.

1) Supply - working with UK supply and international stakeholders
2) Prioritisation - starting with the JCVI clinical recommendations for the top four priority groups
3) Expansion - Increasing amount sites where you can get vaccinated
4) People - aim of 80,000 qualified to administer the vaccinations.

To date, 3 vaccines have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and by 15th February the Government aims to have offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Hancock also confirmed that 96% of people in England currently live within 10 miles of a vaccination site and by the end of January this will be 100% of people.

• There have been 52,618 new cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours
• There has been an increase of 10,000 hospitalised Covid-19 patients since Christmas Day
• In the last 24 hours, 1,162 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test
• A first dose of the vaccine has been administered to 1.26m people in England, 113,000 people in Scotland,
• 49,000 in Wales and 46,000 people in Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister spoke about the distribution programme for the Covid-19 vaccine and the promise of a slot for vaccination by 15th February for all vulnerable groups, including the clinically extremely vulnerable, care home residents and staff, and everyone aged over 70. The Government plans to have a vaccine appointment available for everyone in the four most vulnerable groups within a radius of 10 miles of their home.

The Prime Minister noted that the Government is working with the British Army to support the vaccine deployment plan - full details of which will be published on Monday.

The Prime Minister also updated on the approval of two new therapeutic drugs that reduce the risk of death for those that are extremely ill, and can reduce the amount of time that patients spend in intensive care by up to 10 days.

Vaccinations

The Government plans to increase the number of vaccine doses available, as well as the number of people and places carrying out vaccinations. There will be three main places where people get vaccinated:

• Local GPs and pharmacists make up 739 sites to date, which will expand to over 1000 by the end of next week.
  
• Hospital hubs will be vaccinating care home residents and staff among others. There are now 206 sites, which will expand to 223 by the end of next week.
  
• Larger vaccination centres in places like stadiums and other venues, seven of which are due to begin operation next week.

The Government also noted that there are 80,000 people currently trained on how to administer the vaccine, 18,000 of which have already started work.

The current data shows that;

• There is currently over 1million people in England infected with Covid-19
• 60,916 new positive cases detected today
• Patients of hospital with Covid-19 is 40% higher than the first peak in April
• In the 2 weeks up to 30th December, the positive case rate increased by 70%
• Current 7 day average of deaths is 522

The Prime Minister announced that with both the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine and Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine combined, there has currently been 1.1m people vaccinated in England and 1.3m across the UK.

Of those already vaccinated, it includes over 650,000 people aged 80 and above which is 23% of all over 80s. The Prime Minister highlighted that this means that 1 in 4 in one of most vulnerable groups will have significant immunity in 2-3 weeks time.

The Prime Minister stated again that by the 15th of February the NHS has committed to giving vaccinations to everyone in top 4 priority groups identified by the JCVI. There will also be 1000 vaccination sites established across the country by end of this week with an additional 7 opening next week in large venues such as stadiums.

The Prime minister confirmed there will be a further vaccine update on Thursday and daily updates from the Prime Minister will commence from Monday 11th January.

£4.6 billion in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs

Published 5th January 2021

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP has announced new grants for businesses required to close due to the national lockdown restrictions announced yesterday. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses required to close will be able to access this new financial support on a per property basis derived from rateable value (RV). The support will be as follows: £4,000 for properties with a RV of £15,000 or under; £6,000 for properties with a RV between £15,000 and £51,000; £9,000 for properties with a RV of over £51,000.

For convenience stores and other business that continue to trade a further £594m discretionary fund has also been made available. Retailers wishing to access the discretionary funding should "contact their local authorities". If we receive more information about application processes and criteria for accessing this discretionary funding from central government we will circulate more details.

Additional funding has been allocated to devolved administrations to support "other businesses not eligible for the grants, that might be affected by the restrictions". The Scottish and Welsh Governments have not yet announced how they will allocate the funding.

These announcements do not impact existing grant schemes.

From Tuesday 5 January, mainland Scotland will move from Level 4 to a temporary Lockdown, with new guidance to stay at home except for essential purposes. Some islands will remain at Level 3. The restrictions will mean people in Scotland will only be allowed to leave home for essential purposes, such as essential shopping, exercise and caring responsibilities.

From 00.01 on 05.01.20:

• New laws will be implemented to require people to stay at home.
• Work from home encouraged where possible.
• People in the "shielding" category will be advised not to go in to work at all.
• Outdoor socialising will be with one person from one other household (Children aged 11 and under will not be included)
• No limit will be placed on how many times people can go outside.
• Non-essential travel into and out of Scotland will not be allowed.

From 08.01.12:

• Places of worship are to be closed, group exercise banned, and schools will largely operate via online and remote learning until at least February

Schools closures have been extended for the majority of students until 1st February for nursery schools as well as primary and secondary. However. Children of key workers and vulnerable children can continue to go to school as normal.

The First Ministers full statement is available here. The Scottish Economy Secretary is expected to update the country on business support measures later today.

Finally, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is expected to make a statement at 8pm this evening on restrictions in England, which we will provide an update on shortly after. The House of Commons is to be recalled on Wednesday.

The data shows that;

• There are currently over 21,000 patients with Covid-19 in hospital
• There were 53,135 new cases yesterday, with the majority being due to the new Covid-19 variant

From 00.01 on 31st December the following changes to tiers will occur;

Moving to tier 3:
Rutland, Liverpool City Region, Bath and North East Somerset, Cornwall, Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin, Worcestershire and City of York and North Yorkshire.

Moving to tier 4:
Leicester City, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Derby and Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Birmingham and Black Country, Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Lancashire, Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Tees Valley, North East, Gloucestershire, Somerset council, Swindon, Bournemouth, Isle of Wight and New Forest.

To check the restrictions in place in your local area use the Government postcode checker here. A full list of the tier changes is available here.

The Health Secretary also confirmed the passage of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The UK has 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on order which combined with the Pfizer vaccine is enough to vaccine every adult in the UK with both doses. More information on the roll out of the new vaccine is expected shortly.

Finally, the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson is expected to make an announcement at 4pm on schools.

Around six million people in east and south-east England have gone into tier four, England's highest Covid level - which includes a "stay at home" order.

Lockdowns have also started in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and measures have been reimposed in Wales after being eased for Christmas.

It comes after official UK coronavirus deaths passed 70,000 on Christmas Day.

The toughest measures - which mean the closure of all non-essential shops, as well as hairdressers, swimming pools and gyms - now apply to around 24 million people in England, more than 40% of the population.The whole of Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, as well Essex, Waverley in Surrey, and all of Hampshire with the exception of the New Forest, are now in tier four.

Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Swindon, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest and Northamptonshire, as well as Cheshire and Warrington, have all moved up to tier three. Meanwhile, Cornwall and Herefordshire have moved from tier one to tier two.

Tier four restrictions mean shops in many town and city centres have been closed for the first time in decades on Boxing Day, when there are usually sales.

Given the sharp rise in cases particularly in the south of England, Hancock stressed that measures must be tightened to get the virus under control. Therefore, from 00:01 on Boxing Day, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, those parts in Essex not already in tier four, Waverley in Surrey, and Hampshire - including Portsmouth and Southampton but with the exception of the New Forest - will be escalated to tier four.

Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset (including the North Somerset area), Swindon, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest and Northamptonshire, as well as Cheshire and Warrington, will be escalated to tier three.

Cornwall and Herefordshire will be escalated to tier two.

Another development is that surveillance has detected 2 cases of a new variant from South Africa. The Government is quarantining the cases and close contacts of the cases found in the UK. Hancock stressed that if anyone has been to South Africa in the last fortnight they must automatically quarantine. This will be temporarily written into law.

On testing, community testing is going to be expanded to areas where the rate of infection higher. At the moment, 116 areas are signed up for this testing and the Government are in conversations with local authorities to extend it further. The Government also urges everyone to engage with local testing if they can.

Finally, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has today, submitted full data to the MHRA (independent regulator) for full approval to be deployed in the UK. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is now being administered from 500 sites and is continuing to be expanded. Vaccinations in care homes have now also begun.

Temporary Extended Opening Hours - Monday to Saturday 

Jenrick outlined the plans in an exclusive article in the Telegraph here and will set out the full details in a statement to parliament later today. The proposal will allow local authorities to temporarily set aside planning regulations that restrict opening hours and allow more flexibility for deliveries to stores. We will issue a further update later today when the full details have been announced.

Matt Hancock confirmed that cases of Covid-19 are down 19% and hospital admissions down 7%, both from this time last week.

Therefore, as announced earlier this week, a tiered approach will be taken. Hancock noted that the tiers have been toughened and areas will be placed into the higher tiers than before in order to safeguard the progress made during the national lockdown.

There are 5 main indicators used by ministers to make decisions on tiers based on public health recommendations:

• Case detection rate (in all age groups and, in particular, amongst the over 60s);
• How quickly case rates are rising or falling;
• Positivity in the general population;
• Pressure on the NHS - including current and projected (3-4 weeks out) NHS capacity - including admissions, general/acute/ICU bed occupancy, staff absences; and
• Local context and exceptional circumstances such as a local but contained outbreak.

The Government has published guidance on what is allowed in each tier in terms of working, socialisation and hospitality. The main changes to the tiers from the last regional tier system are;

Tier 1 - Work from home where possible.
Tier 2 - In hospitality, alcohol can only be sold alongside ‘substantive meals'.
Tier 3 - All hospitality to close except for delivery/takeaway.

The Health Secretary announced that Cornwall, Isle of Wight and Isle of Scilly will be in tier 1, with the rest of England in tier 2 or 3. He added that whilst progress is evident, some areas must remain in tier 3 to keep the virus under control; including Birmingham and Manchester. The full allocations of locations are available here and the first review point for the current tier allocations will take place by Wednesday 16 December.

England to Return to Regional Three-Tier System

Published 24th November

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the plans for the end of the national lockdown in England, which will end on Wednesday 2nd December.

The national lockdown will be replaced by a return to a regional three-tier system in which nonessential retail, personal care, gyms and leisure can reopen and people can meet in outdoor public spaces following the rule of six. The Government is expected to announce which locations fall into which tiers on Thursday. Tier 1 will involve the requirement to work from home where possible. In Tier 2, alcohol will only be sold alongside ‘substantive meals’ in hospitality businesses. In Tier 3 areas, all hospitality will need to close except for takeaway and delivery. More information on the tiers can be found here.

Johnson also set out the Covid-19 Winter plan which seeks to carry the country through to the spring when vaccines are readily available, mass rapid testing is in place and the pressure is less for the NHS. The Prime Minister set out that the UK will not have a n

ormal Christmas but all four nations are working closely together to allow some form of celebration to take place. The full details of the Covid-19 Winter Plan is available here.

Devolved Update

Published 24th November

In Wales, the First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed that following a review of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2020, it is "too early to ease any of the restrictions".

The Welsh Health Minister has suggested that in the run up to Christmas, Wales will look to consider measures introduced in Scotland and England where a tier system is followed. In Scotland, a review of Coronavirus alert levels is due later today with few, if any changes expected. The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently announced changes for regions in its tier system; East Lothian will move down a protection level from 6 AM today and Midlothian will remain in Level 3 due to an increase in positive cases. Welsh Government, Scottish and Northern Irish leaders are engaging on a joined up approach to planning for the Christmas period to consider a temporary relaxation
of certain restrictions.

Welsh Government: Written Statement: Review of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2020 

Scottish Government Announce Food and Drink Recovery Plan

Published 24th November

The Scottish Government has announced £5 million for the food & drink sector to help its recovery from coronavirus and prepare for Brexit.

The joint industry and government plan contains over fifty actions to achieve two key goals; assist in stimulating demand for produce in key markets and support businesses in capitalising on consumer demand. The plan builds on the work of the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership in delivering Ambition 2030 which is the strategy for the growth of the sector. The funding provides a commitment to enable Scotland's food and drink industry to work with the Government, to innovate fairer, greener and more sustainable solutions to the challenges that Covid-19 and
EU-Exit are anticipated to bring in the future.

Scottish Government: Food & Drink Recovery Plan

Vaccine to be reviewed by Government Agency

Published 24th November

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is now being reviewed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) to determine whether it meets the UK Government's standards of quality, safety, and effectiveness.

Data from Pfzier has suggested the vaccine is 94% effective in protecting those over 65 from Covid-19. This vaccine will only be authorised for supply and use in the UK if the MHRA agrees it meets the standards and can be consistently manufactured. Including vaccines from other manufacturers, the UK Government has purchased 355 million doses. To support people over the Winter months, the Government has also made available a free flu vaccine to all
over 50s in the UK from 1st December.

Department of Health and Social Care: Government welcomes the MHRA review into Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine
 

The PM confirmed that the second national lockdown in England has suppressed the virus and so the lockdown will end, as anticipated on Wednesday 2nd December.

From next Wednesday, the following restrictions will come into effect (subject to Parliamentary vote):

• A regional 3-tiered approach
• People can meet in outdoor public spaces whilst upholding the rule of six
• Non-essential retail, personal care, gyms and leisure can reopen

The full details of the Covid-19 Winter Plan is available here.

It was confirmed that the new tiered system is going to be tougher than the previous to ensure that it suppresses the virus in areas that are highly infected. On Thursday, the Government is expected to announce which locations fall into which tiers. The PM made clear that it is likely regions will come under higher tiers than before to ensure the virus transmission continues to decline. The main changes to the previous tiers will be;
Tier 1 - Work from home where possible.
Tier 2 - In hospitality, alcohol can only be sold alongside ‘substantive meals'.
Tier 3 - All hospitality to close except for delivery/takeaway.

The Prime Minister highlighted that two significant breakthroughs will mean that we can move away from a tiered approach and resume a more normal life which is expected by Spring. Firstly, the vaccine which is anticipated to begin roll out in December with the majority being administered in the new year. Secondly, the extension of lateral flow rapid testing which gives results in 30 minutes. The use of rapid testing will be expanded to the NHS, care homes in England and for those within food manufacturing. In addition, due to the success of the mass testing pilot in Liverpool, the armed forces will be facilitating a wider mass testing programme given to all tier three regions. These areas will benefit from a six-week mass testing programme to supress the virus.

The Government also announced that it hopes to end automatic isolation, communicated by NHS Test and Trace, for people that have come into contact with someone who tests positive. This is subject to taking a test every day for a week to ensure they are not infected.

On Christmas, Johnson said that it will be not a normal Christmas but the devolved Governments and Westminster are working closely together to develop a realistic and safe plan that allows some form of celebration to take place. The Government will also be issuing specific guidance for Clinically Vulnerable People to ensure they are kept safe at a time when more socialising will take place.

Hancock detailed the current data on cases of Covid-19:

• Average number new cases are at 22,287 down from around 24,000 at this time last week
• 16,409 hospitalisations with Covid-19
• 511 reported deaths yesterday

Whilst these statistics are still dramatically high, Hancock noted that along with Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey data published today, figures are showing the second peak is flattening.

Hancock said that a record breaking 12 million flu vaccines have been given this year with the Government now announcing further roll out of free flu jabs to all over 50 year olds from 1st December (GP's will be in contact to communicate eligibility). The Government are urging all those who are eligible to get the vaccine to ensure people are at less of a risk from contracting Covid-19 and Flu at the same time which could be fatal.

The Government today announced that it has asked the independent regulator, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to assess the Pfizer vaccine after receiving promising results from phase 3 of its trials and gaining data showing it is 95% effective with no serious safety concerns. This is the first step into formally approving the vaccine and full data will be submitted to MHRA in the coming days.

The Government is currently working with the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) to plan for the roll out of the vaccine and the NHS is in the process of establishing a network of vaccination centres ahead of the intention for the roll out to start next month, with the majority being administered in the new year.

Level Up is to help displaced workers or those at risk of redundancy to learn new skills and connect with technology businesses which are recruiting.

It comes as official figures showed about 16% of Welsh technology companies saw an increase in business during the pandemic.

An online event on Wednesday is helping workers connect with businesses.

The tech industry contributes £8.5bn (8.3%) a year to the economy in Wales and employs more than 40,000 people.

The Chancellor reiterated that a regional, tiered approach is the right way to control the spread of the virus and the evidence supports this strategy.

After setting out the economic support for businesses who are legally required to close yesterday, the Government want to extend support to businesses who can stay open but are facing profound economic uncertainty, particularly in tier 2 areas. For example, due to the impact of health restrictions on businesses has been seen as significant.

The further support was announced in three steps;

1. A new grant scheme for businesses facing tier 2 restrictions - This will provide direct cash grants centrally funded but distributed by local authorities. Funding will be allocated to local authorities based on their local hospitality and leisure sectors with a 5% top-up to distribute to other businesses affected by local restrictions that remain open. Local authorities will have discretion on retailer applications. The funding is enough to provide all hospitality and leisure businesses a grant worth £2,100 for every month that tier 2 restrictions apply. Grants can be backdated to the start of August.
2. To protect jobs, the Government will provide more generosity to the Job Support Scheme (JSS) which begins on 1 November - two changes will be made to the scheme. Firstly, colleagues will be no longer required to work 33% of hours but 20%. Secondly, the employer contribution will be reduced to 5%. The Job Retention Bonus Scheme is unaffected.
3. Increased contributions to incomes of the self-employed - doubling from 20% to 40% for the next round of the self-employment income support scheme to a £3,750 maximum. The next round will cover November to January with another grant to follow covering February to April.

More information on the announcement can be found here.

This means that new measures will come into place including:

• people must not socialise with anybody they do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, in any indoor setting or in any private garden or at most outdoor hospitality venues and ticketed events
• people must not socialise in a group of more than 6 in an outdoor public space such as a park or beach, the countryside, a public garden or a sports venue
• all pubs and bars must close, unless they are serving substantial meals
• betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres and soft play areas will close
• people should try to avoid travelling outside the very high alert level or entering a very-high alert level area, other than for work, education or for caring responsibilities or to travel through as part of a longer journey
• residents should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK, and others should avoid staying overnight in the very high alert area

Kickstart Employer Guidance Published

Published 14th October 

The Department for Work and Pensions has published further guidance on the Kickstart Scheme, which is funding new job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit. Retailers can apply for funding, which will cover 100% of the relevant statutory minimum wage rate for 25 hours per week for up to six months as well as associated employer National Insurance and auto-enrolment pension costs. An additional £1,500 payment will be made to the employer per placement to support with setup costs and employability training.

The guidance clarifies that placements under the Kickstart Scheme must start by the end of December 2021 and cannot reduce working hours for other colleagues. A Kickstart application must be for at least 30 placements, with retailers seeking to offer fewer placements needing to go through a kickstart gateway. Kickstart gateways will complete due diligence checks on retailers applying for funding, for example asking about changes to the workforce over the past six months, and can be found to begin applications here.

Devolved Update

Published 14th October 

Bangor has been added to the list of areas with local Covid-19 restrictions in Wales, following a sharp rise in cases.

Residents will not be able to leave the city of Bangor but travel for work is exempted and a list of FAQs is here. This in addition to national measures in Wales preventing the sale of alcohol beyond 10pm and requiring face coverings to be worn in all indoor areas. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP is widely reported to be drawing up a three-tier system to direct local Covid-19 restrictions, similar to England and following tighter restrictions in the central belt. Scottish Government Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has also announced a £25m National Transition Training Fund to support workers aged 25 and over at risk of redundancy to develop skills to expand their job opportunities, particularly in industries where labour market growth is expected. The Fund will be targeted towards employees in sectors most affected by Covid-19.

PM introduces three-tier system

Published 9th October 

Following the recent statement by the Prime Minister, a three-tier system has been introduced in efforts to control the spread of Coronavirus.

The Prime Minister stated that current evidence shows that the R rate is between 1.2 and 1.5 and the amount of cases of Covid-19 have quadrupled in the last 3 weeks. The Government is however reluctant to enter another full national lockdown and instead is introducing a three-tier system to simplify and standardise the previous local lockdown approach.

The three-tier approach is;
Medium - (current national measures) including rule of six and 10pm curfew.

High - (Current interventions in many local lockdown areas) Aim to reduce household to household transmission by banning all mixing in households (excluding social bubbles), rule of 6 also applies outdoors. Most areas currently subjected to local lockdowns will move into high alert tier straight away.

Very high - Prohibit all mixing of households both inside and outside (excluding social bubbles), full closure of hospitality. Potential closure of leisure and close contact services.

The Test and Trace app will show which alert applies in each area and this information can also be found via the government online resource by entering your postcode.

The Prime Minister confirmed that all retail, schools and universities will remain open despite the level of alert but this subject to constant review.

Following meetings with local authorities and officials, from Wednesday, Merseyside region will be in high alert meaning full closure of hospitality, a ban on all household mixing both indoors and outdoors, closure of gyms/leisure centres.

To provide further support, the Government will extend the current jobs support scheme to any business required to close and providing a cash grant of up to £3000/month subject to qualifying criteria such as RV. The Government will also provide Local Authorities with £1bn of additional support.

The newly set out regulations are being voted on in Parliament tomorrow and will be implemented from Wednesday.

Finally, the Prime Minister is due to address the nation at 7pm this evening but we expect that there will not be any further updates.

Self-Isolation Rules - Implications for Employers

Published 30th September   

New regulations on self-isolation prohibit employers from allowing colleagues who are required to self-isolate from working in any place except the place where they are self-isolating. The regulations require workers to notify their employer of their requirement to self-isolate as soon as reasonably practicable and not later than when the worker is next due to start work in the isolation period.

The NHS Test and Trace service and Public Health England have the authority to use these regulations, requiring positive cases to isolate for ten days and close contacts for fourteen days. Offences under the regulations are punishable by fines or fixed penalty notices. The regulations were laid due to a rising infection rate and will be reviewed within six months. You can view the regulations in full here.

Local Restrictions Update

Public Health England weekly surveillance report details that 38 new local authorities have been added to the watchlist, including all 32 London boroughs as ‘areas of concern'. Northern areas including Leeds, Wigan, Stockport and Blackpool have now been categorised as ‘areas of intervention' and people will no longer be able to mix with people outside their own households. In addition, a cross-party group of MPs are pushing for an amendment to ensure that future Covid-19 restrictions are voted on in Parliament in the future. This amendment is part of the Coronavirus Act which currently gives the Government a wide range of emergency powers to tackle the crisis such as lockdown restrictions (e.g. rule of six) and will be voted on at its six-month renewal next week.

View more details of all current local restrictions on the government website here.

Grants for Retailers in Wales

Published 30th September    

The Welsh Government is providing an additional £60m funding to support businesses affected by local lockdowns which can demonstrate a "material impact" from Covid-19. The funding will provide grants of up to £1,500 for shops with a rateable value between £12,000 and £51,000, while grants of £1,000 will be available to shops with a rateable value below £12,000.

Local authorities will also be able to make discretionary grants of up to £1,500 to retailers not registered to pay business rates. The Welsh Government is also providing a further £80m via Phase Three of its Economic Resilience Fund to help businesses develop and secure jobs through business development grants. Retailers employing up to nine people will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000 while larger businesses employing 250 or more will be able to apply for up to £200,000. The scheme will also reward businesses that create new job opportunities for those aged under 25. An eligibility checker for the grants will be provided next week.

As detailed in the below guidance, colleagues are not required to use a face covering where there is a physical barrier, such as a Perspex screen, between the colleague and customers:

Face coverings must be worn by retail, leisure and hospitality staff working in indoor areas which are open to the public and where they are likely to come into contact with a member of the public, for example shops, supermarkets and restaurants. If these businesses have taken steps in line with HSE guidance for Covid-19 Secure workplaces to create a physical barrier between workers and members of the public then staff behind the barrier will not be required to wear a face covering.

Colleagues are also exempt when they are not in a customer facing environment (e.g. stock room), if they have a hidden disability or another health condition, or if they are with someone who relies on lip reading to communicate with them.

For further information please see the government website here.

VAT Announcements

Published 24th September      

"To support more than 150,000 businesses and help protect 2.4 million jobs through the winter I am announcing today that we are cancelling the planned increase and will keep the lower 5% VAT rate until March 31st next year".

The reduced 5% VAT rate has been extended for the hospitality and tourism sectors specifically until 31st March 2021. This will also apply to ‘food and non-alcoholic drinks from restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés and similar premises'. Separately, retailers who deferred their VAT due to Covid-19 earlier in the year will no longer have to pay a lump sum at the end of March next year. These businesses will now have the option of reducing this into smaller, interest-free payments over the course of eleven months. Self-assessed income taxpayers will also be able to use HMRC's Time to Pay service to secure a plan to pay over an additional twelve months.

Covid-19 Loan Schemes Extended

Published 24th September       

"Right now, businesses need every extra pound to protect jobs rather than repaying loans and tax deferrals. So I'm taking four further steps today to make that happen".

Application deadlines for the Future Fund, Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Business Interruption Loan Schemes have been extended to 30th November to encourage wider use amongst businesses. Businesses that have taken out loans via either the Bounce Back Loan Scheme or Business Interruption Loan Schemes will also be offered the choice of more time and greater flexibility to make repayments. This ‘Pay as You Grow' scheme will mean loans can be paid back over six to ten years, more than doubling the current repayment timescales and reducing monthly payments. Businesses using the extended repayment timescales will not see their credit rating affected.

Prime Minister's statement

Published 22nd September    

Following the Prime Minister's statement in the House of Commons earlier today, we can confirm that the Government intends to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory for colleagues in store from this Thursday (24th September).

The Government has yet to publish detail on any exemptions from this rule, although we anticipate that colleagues who would be otherwise exempt for medical reasons would also be exempt while working. As soon as further details are announced, we will provide an additional update.

The Government has also announced that the Covid secure workplace guidelines are to become law, and will be subject to sanctions if they are not followed.

The Covid secure guidelines for shops and branches are available here.

Other measures announced by the Prime Minister in his statement today include:

• From Thursday, all pubs, bars and restaurants must operate on a table service only basis and must close at 10pm
• From Thursday, takeaways must also close at 10pm, but can operate a delivery service beyond that time
• If office workers can work from home, they should do so
• From Monday, there will be a maximum of 15 people allowed at weddings
• From Monday, the rule of six will be extended to all adult indoor team sports

The Prime Minister will be making a public statement at 8pm this evening. We do not anticipate that it will include new or different measures to those detailed above.

Reminder: VAT Payments Deferral Scheme Closed

HMRC is reminding all VAT customers that they are required to file and pay on time, now that the VAT payments deferral scheme has ended. The Government introduced the VAT payments deferral scheme at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic on 20th March 2020. This allowed all VAT businesses to defer payments that would have originally been due between 20th March and 30th June to be paid by 31st March 2021. Customers were required to file on time throughout the deferral period but penalties for late filing were suspended. HMRC also want to ensure that customers understand the situation, and are clear that they will ‘default' if they fail to meet their VAT obligations and may face a penalty as well as being charged interest on any tax that is due. The Government have provided information on surcharges and penalties as well if customers have difficulties paying VAT.

FCA Set Out Expectations on Access to Cash

Published 22nd September    

Following a consultation, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out its expectations for the steps firms should take when considering closing ATMs or converting a free-to-use ATM to pay-to-use. In its finalised guidance, the FCA has clarified that banks, building societies and credit unions are now expected to inform the FCA of any closure or conversion plans; this also includes changes of ATMs. The guidance states that if a firm decides to implement its closure or conversion proposals, it will be expected to clearly communicate information about this to its customers no less than 12 weeks before the proposals are implemented. This should include making customers aware of alternatives they can use. Therefore, this will give customers time to take action, such as changing banking provider. Retailers should now expect this 12-week consultation process to occur if there are any changes to ATM or in-store cash services. This guidance applies from 21st September 2020.

FCA: FCA finalises its expectation for firms on maintaining access to cash for customers

PSR Publishes Interim Report on Card Acquiring Market Review

Published 22nd September   

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has published an interim report on the supply of card acquiring services, showing that merchants could make savings by shopping around and either switching or negotiating with their current provider. The PSR found that many small and medium-sized businesses do not do this. The report provides several recommendations to make it easier to search for and switch to a new provider or find a better deal, including; requiring all contracts to have an end date and requiring changes to POS terminal contracts to limit their length making it easier to exit contracts without fees. The PSR also suggested that it should be made easier for merchants to research and compare prices and available options.

The so called 'nudge' letters state that CJRS payments may need to be repaid because the business has claimed for a grant that is greater than they are entitled to or that they may not have met the conditions of the scheme. Businesses are urged to review their records and their claim, with HMRC acknowledging that "mistakes happen". Businesses receiving the letters are told to contact HMRC - whether or not they think they have over-claimed.

FSA 'Here to Help' Campaign

Published 17th August

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched its new ‘Here to Help' campaign, providing practical support to retailers on how to register as a food business, trade and adapt premises to operate safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. This follows many retailers offering new home delivery, takeaway and online services in recent months. The campaign hub page includes a number of related FSA resources, including; reopening checklist, food safety for food delivery and guidance on selling food outdoors and diversifying business models. Retailers can subscribe for campaign updates here.

New rules on gatherings in some parts of Northern England

Published 31st July

Last night the Government announced changes to rules on gatherings in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire after increase in COVID-19 cases. It means people in these areas will not be permitted to mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens. The areas that these changes apply to are the Greater Manchester area, Pendle, Hyndburn, Burnley, Rossendale, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leicester City. The government will shortly publish new regulations to make these changes legally enforceable.

It says that "evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with Covid-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset".

"We have considered how best to target interventions to reduce risk to the general population and consider that at this point in the epidemic, with widespread and rapid testing available and considering the relaxation of other measures, it is now the correct balance of risk to extend the self-isolation period from 7 to 10 days for those in the community who have symptoms or a positive test result.

"This will help provide additional protection to others in the community. This is particularly important to protect those who have been shielding and in advance of the autumn and winter when we may see increased community transmission."

Businesses that have experienced a "significant drop" in turnover because of the coronavirus pandemic can apply for between 80 and 100% of the minimum wage for their employees.

Sectors that are eligible for the second phase of the scheme include:

Retail outlets (excluding essential retail outlets)

• Restaurants and other food and drink businesses (excluding takeaways)
• Event companies such as those working in corporate events or weddings
• Travel agents and tour operators
• Arts, entertainment and recreation which act as tourist activities
• Visitor accommodation
• Taxi sector

Businesses with a turnover of more than 40% and up to 70% of normal levels will be able to apply for 80% of the minimum wage, but will be required to contribute the remaining 20%.

Those that have seen their turnover reduce to below 40% of normal levels will be able to apply for 100% of their employees' minimum wage.

The scheme will run from 1 July to 30 September, ahead of a grant scheme that will aim to support tourist accommodation businesses from 1 October.

Applications for the payroll scheme can be made on the States of Guernsey website.

Contain Framework for Local Lockdowns

The Department of Health and Social Care has published a new framework to set out how national and local authorities will work with the public and businesses to prevent, contain and manage Covid-19 outbreaks. The framework states that local authorities can use emergency powers to close any business if deemed necessary to control transmission of Covid-19.

Statutory guidance on the Health Protection Regulations 2020 also states that local authorities will have to gather evidence to demonstrate that closing a business is necessary and proportionate in response to a imminent public health risk. Food retailers smaller than 280 square metres have not been included on the list of premises defined as essential infrastructure and exempt from local authority powers to be closed.  

Welsh Statutory Guidance on Social Distancing & Testing

Public Health Wales has published its new testing strategy, which focuses on; contact tracing, delivering NHS services, protecting vulnerable groups and improving understanding of the virus. The strategy will focus on the wider rollout of asymptomatic testing in addition to antigen and antibody tests and enabling people to return to work safely. The Welsh Government has also published guidance on the Health Protection (Wales) Regulations 2020. The guidance details a number of physical distancing mitigations retailers can take to ensure 2 metre distances are maintained wherever possible, including limiting customer numbers, controlling the use of entrances and controlling the use of shared facilities. The regulations will continue to be reviewed every three weeks.

Updated Guidance: Keeping Workers and customers safe during COVID-19 in Shops and branches

Published 25th June

The Government have released updated guidance on Keeping workers and customers safe during COVID-19 in shops and branches here. The main update addresses the Government's new position on social distancing to allow 1m plus with risk mitigation' where 2m is not possible and new guidance on support bubbles.

The guidance does not provide an exhaustive list of options for risk mitigations, but states that further mitigating actions could include:

• Further increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning.
• Keeping the activity time involved as short as possible.
• Using screens or barriers to separate people from each other.
• Using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible.
• Reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering' (so each person works with only a few others).

For further information on the changes to social distancing guidance the government has also published their Review of the two metre social distancing guidance here detailing the scientific evidence behind their decision and rationale behind mitigating actions.

Webinar: Extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing

Published 25th June

Register for the next live webinar about the extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing.

This webinar gives an overview of the changes to the scheme and more information on:

• how employers will be affected
• flexible furloughing
• key dates
• support available

Choose a date and time

Change to Lockdown Measures (England)

Published 24th June

The Prime Minister announced yesterday the following changes to the lockdown measures, which apply in England only:

• People should continue to aim to keep two metres apart but where this is not possible they should keep to one metre plus other mitigations such as use of face coverings, sitting side by side rather than face to face to reduce risk of transmission and frequent use of hand sanitiser.
• From 4th July, two households of any size can meet in any setting at any one time, but social distancing should still be observed.
• People from two households will also be able to meet outside, regardless of size.
• The guidance remains that people from several households can meet outside in groups of up to six.
  
• From 4th July, pubs and restaurants will be allowed to open both indoors and outdoors if they put in safety guidelines including table service only.

Other businesses that will be allowed to reopen from 4th July, provided they are Covid secure, include:

• Hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites and caravan parks
• Hair salons and barbers
• Playgrounds, museums, galleries, theme parks, outdoor gyms and arcades, libraries, social clubs and community centres

Updated Retail Guidance in Wales

Published 24th June

The Welsh Government has published new guidance for retailers, detailing how they can operate safely. Specifically, the guidance is concerned with how retailers can do the following:

• Ensure that a distance of 2m is maintained between any persons on the premises (except between two members of the same household, or a carer and the person assisted by the carer)
• Ensure that persons are only admitted to the business premises in sufficiently small numbers to make it possible to maintain that distance
• Ensure that a distance of 2m is maintained between persons waiting to enter the business premises (except between two members of the same household, or a carer and the person assisted by the carer

Code of Practice for Commercial Property

Published 22nd June

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published a voluntary Code of Practice to help landlords and tenants to settle on payment agreements during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tenants are encouraged to pay rents in full where possible, but states landlords should be flexible and supportive to tenants if they are able to do so. Separately, the Government is also extending measures to suspend forfeiture of evictions, prevent use of Commercial Recovery Arrears Regulations and ban the use of statutory demands and winding up petitions until 30 September. These measures were previously set to expire on 30 June. Further information is available here.

Easing Lockdown in Wales

Published 22nd June

One day after the Scottish Government announced plans for non-essential retail to open from 29 June, the Welsh Government has announced all non-essential retail shops may open from Monday 22 June, subject to enforcing the physical distancing law in place in Wales. School pupils are set to return on 29 June and the requirement to stay within a five-mile radius locally will be lifted, if conditions allow, on 6 July. First Minister Mark Drakeford AM has also alerted the tourism industry to prepare to reopen if infection numbers continue to decline.

Daily Press Conference

Published 19th June

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, gave today's press conference. These are the highlights:

• As of 9am 18 June, there have been 7,259,555 tests, with 136,516 tests on 17 June. 300,469 people have tested positive. As of 5pm on 17 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 42,288 have sadly died, an increase of 135.
• Matt Hancock said the best way to defeat the virus is to develop a vaccine and the government is throwing everything at vaccine develop. The manufacture of the Oxford vaccine is starting now in anticipation of successful human trials. The government is starting to work out the criteria for prioritising allocation of the vaccine for frontline health and social care workers and the most vulnerable, such as those over the age of 50 with underlying health conditions.
  
• Matt Hancock outlined that the NHS Covid-19 App has been rigorously tested on the Isle of Wight, but they had discovered a technical barrier; the app is only working on Android phones, not Apple phone. He also set out that testing of the Apple/Google system was not sufficiently tracking vicinity between app users. Therefore the Government will be joining force with Apple/ Google to deliver a joint solution, combining the findings of the IOW pilot and the existing Apple/Google app.
  
• A full statement from the Government on the NHS Covid-19 App is available here stating: "The focus of work will shift from the current app design and to work instead with Google and Apple to understand how using their solution can meet the specific needs of the public."

Scotland Phase 2 Recovery Plan

Published 19th June

Further changes to lockdown restrictions in Scotland were announced yesterday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. From Monday, 29 June some indoor workplaces can re-open including retail premises with outdoor entrances and exits. Ahead of that date local authorities and retailers are urged to plan for the responsible use of public space, such as removing unnecessary street furniture, designing systems to manage queuing and pedestrian thoroughfares, and implementing adequate measures to support physical distancing. From Monday, 22 June, it will become mandatory to wear a face covering on all public transport. More details on the announcements are available here.

Tobacco Track and Trace

Published 19th June

HMRC has now appointed the current UK ID issuer De La Rue to provide the additional services necessary for the UK system to operate independently of the EU system following the UK's exit from the EU. The appointment of De La Rue will be for one year until December 2021. This will enable the system to continue to operate in the UK with very minimal changes to how it currently functions in order to reduce disruption. HMRC will be holding a procurement exercise later this year to appoint a longer-term service provider from January 2022.

Deferral of VAT payments deadline extended

Published 18th June

If you're a UK VAT registered business and have a VAT payment due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020, you have the option to:

• defer the payment until a later date
• pay the VAT due as normal

The VAT payment deferral period ends on 30 June 2020. This means you'll need to:

• set-up cancelled direct debits in enough time for HMRC to take payment
• submit VAT returns as normal, and on time
• pay the VAT in full on payments due after 30 June

Any VAT payments you have deferred between 20 March and 30 June should be paid in full on or before 31 March 2021. You can make additional payments with subsequent returns.

More information can be found on the government website here.

If you are unable to pay the VAT due and may need time to pay as soon as possible and before the payment is due
for advice and information on other support available.

Face Coverings - Consumer Facing Assets

Published 18th June

Since Monday 15th June it has been mandatory for passengers on public transport to wear a face covering. To support the communication of these regulations, the Government has put together a series of consumer-facing assets such as posters and screen graphics. These assets may be useful for retailers that operate near on within transport hubs.

The downloadable assets can be found here.

Updated: Working safely during coronavirus - Shops and branches

Published 17th June

The Government's guidance for people who work in or run shops, branches, stores or similar environments has now been updated. This document is to help employers, employees and the self-employed in the UK understand how to work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping as many people as possible 2 metres apart from those they do not live with.

Read the full guidance here.

Daily Press Conference

Published 17th June

The Prime Minister announced that there has been a significant breakthrough in the treatment of Coronavirus by scientists in the UK. Following the ‘Recovery Study' clinical trial, the drug Dexamethasone has been identified as being effective in reducing the risk of death among patients receiving oxygen or ventilation treatment for COVID-19. Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance confirmed that the drug is widely available and cheap, and that there are enough supplies in the event of a second peak.

In response to a question asking when the Government will move from the 2 metre social distancing rule to 1 metre in line with other countries, the Prime Minister responded that the Government understands the concerns from businesses and schools and the 2 metre rule will be kept under constant review, but cannot be adjusted at this stage.

Plastic bag extension

Published 17th June

The Welsh Government have extended the exemption from the Single Use Carrier Bag Charge until December 31st 2020; subject to continual review in light of the COVID-19 situation. After being first set to end on 8th July, the Welsh Government have acknowledged that there remains to be an ongoing risk, especially for delivery drivers/couriers and households. This has resulted in an extension of the temporary measure and inclusion within the wider Welsh Government strategic aim to phase out single use products; especially those made from plastic.

Children's School Meals

Published 17th June

The UK Government have confirmed Children's school meal vouchers of £15 per week, will now be made available for 1.3 million children in England for the 6 week summer holiday period. This is following a successful campaign by England footballer Marcus Rashford. The PM's spokesman said he "understands children and parents face unprecedented situations" during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Scottish Government have also announced £27.6 million in additional funding to ensure councils are able to continue the provision of free school meals during the summer holidays and other food provision to help low income families.

Small Business Minister Recognises Role of Retail Sector

Published 16th June

Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets, Paul Scully MP has written a letter which highlights the vital and positive role that the retail sector has played during the coronavirus crisis.

In the letter, Paul Scully MP says: "I would like to echo the comments made by the Business Secretary in his letter of 8 April thanking retail workers who have continued to work in our shops, online and supply chains throughout this challenging period. Your tremendous efforts have not only ensured the public have had continued and safe access to the goods they need over the last three months, you have also supported your communities to adhere to social distancing guidelines effectively and have helped to control the virus."

The full letter is available here.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - new guidance published 

Published 13th June

What the new online guidance covers

• changes to the scheme and key dates that you need to be aware of
• how you can claim if you bring previously furloughed employees back to work part-time from 1 July (known as flexible furloughing) and how many employees you can claim for in any one claim
• how to claim, and the information you'll need to do so
• how to work out how much you can claim, including an online calculator to help you
• more information on amending your claim.

What you need to do now

• read the guidance to see how changes to the scheme impact you, using the calculator to understand how much you'll be able to claim
• book a webinar via GOV.UK if you'd like more support
• consider which employees you want to keep on full-time furlough and which employees will come back to work - on what hours - to agree arrangements with them as needed for your business.

What you need to do from July

• start your flexible furloughing of employees from 1 July onwards. You can decide the hours and shift patterns they work to suit the needs of your business - you'll pay their wages for the time they're in work and can apply for a job retention scheme grant to cover any of their usual hours they are still furloughed for. You can still keep employees on full furlough if you need to
• claim for periods ending on or before 30 June, by 31 July - this is the last date you can make those claims
• claim for further furlough periods as needed - the first time you will be able to make a claim for days in July will be 1 July. 

You can also now check examples to help you calculate your employee's wages, National Insurance contributions and pension contributions if you're claiming through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme here.

Find out which employees you can put on furlough and claim for through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme here, and find out how and when to report employees' wages to HMRC using the PAYE Real Time Information system here.

You can find the full updated guidance by searching for 'Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme' on GOV.UK. 

Daily Briefing

Published 12th June

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, led the daily briefing today, the highlights are:

• As of 9am 12 June, there have been 6,434,713 tests, with 193,253 tests on 11 June. As of 5pm on 11 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 41,481 have sadly died, an increase of 202 fatalities since yesterday. 5,607 are in hospital with Covid-19, down from 7,036 this time last week.
• Shapps said transport is central to the nation's recovery, but as the transport network gets busier we need to remain vigilant. Shapps said if you are an employer you should do everything in your power to prevent staff from travelling unless it is absolutely vital or allow staff to travel at quieter times.
  
• From Monday the 15th June it becomes mandatory in England to wear a face covering that includes all types of public transport. Transport operators will be able to refuse permission to travel where someone isn't using a face covering and fines can be issued for non compliance.
• The Department for Transport are bringing together leaders from industry and environmental groups to set up the ‘Jet Zero Council' the group will be tasked with making net zero emission possible for future flights. We want to demonstrate flight across the Atlantic without damage to the economy.
  

Test and Trace update

Published 12th June

During Yesterday's press conference, the Health Secretary was joined by Baroness Dido Harding to update on the latest developments on the test and trace system. Mr Hancock stated that participation in test and trace is everyone's ‘civic duty'. The figures for the first week of test and trace are as follows:

• In the first week of the programme, 8,117 people had their details transferred to the contact tracing system.
• Of those, 5,407 were reached and asked to provide details of those that they have been in close contact with.
  
• From these details, tracers identified 31,794 people that had been in close contact with someone suffering from Covid-19 - 85% of which identified agreed to self-isolate.

Government five tests have been met

Published 11th June

In yesterday's press conference the Prime Minister updated on the government's progress towards the five tests for adjusting lockdown. The test ensures that any changes to lockdown are careful, proportionate and safe. The government is now satisfied that all five tests have been met and the following adjustments can now be introduced:

• The Prime Minister reiterated that all shops will be able to reopen from Monday as long as they follow the COVID-19 guidelines.
• From Saturday, adults living alone in England, including single parents with children under 18, will able to form a support bubble with one other household. This means that they can act as if they are one household, being able to visit each other's homes and do not need to stay two metres apart.
• Outdoor attractions such as zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas will be allowed to re-open from Monday.
• Places of worship will allowed to be opened for individual prayer from this weekend.

The Prime Minister stated that the rate of infection is not low enough to allow all primary pupils to go back to school as they had planned. He set out that all children will be allowed to go back to school in September providing that progress continues to be made.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that the Health Secretary will provide an update today on how test and trace is performing.

Government's non-essential businesses support plan

In yesterday's press conference Mr Sharma outlined the Government's plans to support non-essential businesses in opening on June 15th with sector-specific guidance. The Business Secretary also spoke of the five roundtables that are being launched to drive the UK's economic recovery from Covid-19, and the Government's ongoing commitment to working ‘shoulder to shoulder' with businesses post-pandemic.
 

Government Coronavirus Loans - Update

Published 10th June

New figures released by the Treasury yesterday have shown that total lending under the Bounce Back Loan scheme has risen to £23.8bn by 7 June, up from £21.3bn a week earlier. 782,246 small businesses have received bounce back loans from British lenders, with an approval rate of 81%.

The approval rate for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme remained significantly lower than for bounce back loans at just over 51 per cent. Of the 93,305 businesses that applied for a loan under the scheme, 47,650 were approved. Applications for the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) continued to have the lowest approval rate of any of the government-backed loans at 40 per cent.

The full release from the Treasury is available here.

WHO Advice on Facemasks

Published 9th June

The World Health Organization (WHO) has changed its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The global body said new information showed they could provide "a barrier for potentially infectious droplets". The Government has a debate on this on Thursday.

Daily Press Conference

Published 5th June

Yesterday's daily briefing was led by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps. The highlights from the conference were:

• 220,057 tests carried out or posted out on Wednesday. 7,312 people are in hospital with coronavirus. There have been 39,904 deaths, an increase of 176.
• Grant Shapps said pressure will increase on public transport as we move to the next phase of easing lockdown measures and the government will need to take further action.
• From the 15th June it will become a condition of travel for passengers to wear face coverings on public transport. This doesn't mean clinical face mask, but face coverings you can make at home.
• The Transport Secretary confirmed that people can be refused travel if they are not wearing a face covering and fined.
• To ease pressure on public transport the government are also introducings fix your bike vouchers worth £50 and extending the cycle to work scheme to include electric bikes.

Eligibility for Scottish Cash Grants Extended

Published 5th June

The Scottish Government is expanding eligibility for its Covid-19 cash grants. Currently, stores with rateable values above £18,000 are eligible for a grant of £25,000 under the Retail Support Grant, while stores eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme or Rural Relief can get a grant of £10,000 under the Small Business Grant Fund. Stores under £18,000 RV but ineligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme or Rural Relief were eligible; but only if all properties had a combined RV between £35,001 and £51,000. For retailers with multiple properties accumulatively below £51,000 RV, those properties could get 75% grants compared to the first property grant of either £25,000 or £10,000. From Monday 8th June, the upper threshold for retailers with multiple properties will be extended to a cumulative maximum rateable value of £500,000. More information about these cash grants and how to apply is available here.

Guidance on Community Safeguarding

Published 5th June

The Home Office, in collaboration with a number of other government departments, has produced information and guidance for businesses and others dealing directly with the public on how they can recognise the signs of abuse or neglect. This follows on from the Prime Minister's Hidden Harms Summit, outlining that "safeguarding is everyone's business". The guidance documents and communications assets are available here. 

Three areas of Government focus

Published 4th June

The Prime Minister provided a brief update on three areas of Government focus during yesterday's press conference:

• Test and trace measures, which include replacing a national lockdown with individual isolation and potential local action.
• Asking those who travel to the UK from abroad to self-isolate, with the exception of those providing essential services and those directly involved in combating the virus.
  
• Working with other nations during the Global Vaccine Summit and putting a plan in places to provide immunisations for people in developing countries in the future.
  

Test and Trace Resources

Published 4th June

Public Health England have now made available a number of resources for businesses to use to communicate the key messages around Test and Trace, specifically on getting tested if you have symptoms and self-isolating if you are contacted. The resources, which include posters, social media assets and digital screens are available here.

Public Health England Review of Disparities in Risks and Outcomes

Published 3rd June

Public Health England has published their review into how different factors, including ethnicity, age and sex, and obesity, have affected COVID-19 risk and outcomes. The review's findings are based on the latest surveillance data available to PHE and from links to wider health data sets. The review is available here. The findings found that age is the biggest risk factor for COVID-19, followed by sex, living in a city, and being black or from a minority ethnicity background. At yesterday's press conference, the Health Secretary confirmed that the Minister for Equalities will take work forward to understand more about the disparities and how to close the gap. 

Scottish Government Warns Businesses About COVID-19 Scams

Published 3rd June

Scotland's Serious Organised Crime Taskforce are warning businesses that organised criminals are actively exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak. Fraudulent activity includes businesses being emailed urging them to click on an official-looking link for a £25,000 grant. The link leads to a fake ‘UK Government'-branded website asking for business and banking details. More information is available here.
 

Discretionary Grant Funding for SMEs Now Live

Published 2nd June

The Government's Discretionary Grant Fund is now live, providing support for small businesses that are not eligible for other grant schemes. Small and micro businesses with fixed property costs that are not eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund may be eligible for the Discretionary Grants Scheme.

Businesses that may be eligible include those which are:

• based in England
• have fewer than 50 employees
• have fixed building costs such as rent
• trading on 11 March 2020
• adversely impacted by the coronavirus

Government Updates Advice for Those Shielding

Published 2nd June

The government has updated its guidance for people who are shielding, taking into account that COVID-19 disease levels are substantially lower now than when shielding was first introduced. People who are shielding remain vulnerable and should continue to take precautions but can now leave their home if they wish, as long as they are able to maintain strict social distancing. More detail for those who have been shielding is available here.

Flexible furloughing

Published 1st June

From today employers have the flexibility to bring previously furloughed employees back to work part-time - with the government continuing to pay 80% of wages for any of their normal hours they do not work up until the end of August. This flexibility comes a month earlier than previously announced to help people get back to work.

Employers can decide the hours and shift patterns that employees will work on their return and employers will be responsible for paying their wages in full while working. This means that employees can work as much or as little as your business needs, with no minimum time that you can furlough staff for.

Any working hours arrangement must cover at least one week and be confirmed to the employee in writing. When claiming the CJRS grant for furloughed hours, employers will need to report and claim for a minimum period of a week, or can choose to claim for longer periods such as on monthly or two weekly cycles. Employers will be required to submit data on the usual hours an employee would be expected to work in a claim period and actual hours worked.

If employees are unable to return to work, or there is no work for them to do, they can remain on furlough and employers can continue to claim the grant for their full hours under the existing rules.

Employer contributions

From August, the government grant provided through the job retention scheme will be slowly tapered.

• In June and July, the government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 as well as employer National Insurance (ER NICs) and pension contributions for the hours the employee doesn't work - employers will have to pay employees for the hours they work
• In August, the government will continue to pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 but employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions - for the average claim, this represents 5% of the gross employment costs that they would have incurred if the employee had not been furloughed
• In September, the government will pay 70% of wages up to a cap of £2,187.50 for the hours the employee does not work - employers will pay ER NICs, pension contributions and 10% of wages to make up 80% of the total up to a cap of £2,500
• In October, the government will pay 60% of wages up to a cap of £1,875 for the hours the employee does not work - employers will pay ER NICs, pension contributions and 20% of wages to make up 80% of the total up to a cap of £2,500
• The cap on the furlough grant will be proportional to the hours not worked.

For smaller employer, some or all of the employer NIC bills will be covered by the Employment Allowance, so they should not be significantly impacted by that part of the tapering of the government contribution.

Around a quarter of CJRS monthly claims relate to wages that are below the threshold where employer NICs and auto enrolment contributions are due, and so no employer contribution will be required for these furloughed employees in August.

Important dates

It's important to note that the scheme will close to new entrants from 30 June. From this point onwards, employers will only be able to furlough employees that you have furloughed for a full three-week period prior to 30 June.

This means that the final date that employees can be furloughed for the first time will be 10 June for the current three-week furlough period to be completed by 30 June. Employers will have until 31 July to make any claims in respect of the period to 30 June.

Next steps for employers

• Review HR strategy in the next week in line with the latest guidance
• Furlough any employees by 10th June who you wish to continue on the new flexible furlough scheme as anyone furloughed after this date will not be eligible;
• Consider any other options including phased returns to work, reduction in working hours, linking staff contracts to performance of business, short-time working or redundancies. Do not leave these conversations until later this year as staff will be less responsive.

Guidance and support

Further support for employers and agents on how to calculate claims with this extra flexibility will be available by 12 June, including webinars and detailed online guidance. For information about how to claim, go to GOV.UK and search 'Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme'.

Code of Practice for Commercial Rental Sector

Published 1st June

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced its intention to publish a code of practice to promote good practice between commercial tenants and landlords during COVID-19. The code will encourage landlords and tenants to have fair and transparent discussions regarding rental payments during the pandemic and include guidance on rent arrear payments and the treatment of suppliers. The code of practice will be temporary but could become mandatory if necessary and is expected to be published by the end of June. This follows the Government's previous announcements of support for commercial tenants, including the temporary ban on evictions and statutory demands.  

Daily Press Conference

Published 30th May    

Yesterday's daily briefing was led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak . These are the highlights:

• There were 38,161 total confirmed Covid-19 deaths and an increase of 324 deaths recordes yesterday in the UK following a positive coronavirus test.
• The Chancellor announced more details on the Job Retention Scheme, including the timetable and employer contribution threshold from now until the scheme ends in October. The timetable is:
  
  • June and July: The Job Retention Scheme will continue in its present form with government funding 80% of furloughed employees salaries up to a cap of £2,500, with employers not having to make any contributions.
  • August: The government will pay 80%, employers will be asked to pay National Insurance & pension contributions.
  • September: The government will pay 70% of furloughed people's salaries up to a cap of £2,187.50, with employers contributing 10%. Employers will also pay National Insurance & employer pension contributions.
  • October: For the final payment in October, the government will pay 60% of furloughed people's salaries up to a cap of £1,875, with employers contributing 20%. Employers will also pay National Insurance & employer pension contributions.

• The Chancellor confirmed more flexibility around the furlough scheme, from July 1st, employers will have complete flexibility to decide on the right arrangements for them and their staff. However, employers wanting to place new employees on the scheme will need to do so by June 10th, to allow time to complete the minimum furlough period before then.
• The Chancellor confirmed the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended with those eligible able to claim a second and final grant capped at £6,570

More details on the changes to Job Retention Scheme and Self Employment Income Support scheme are available here.

Daily Press Conference

Published 29th May   

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• 3,918,079 tests have now been carried out, 119,587 of which were carried out on Wednesday. Of those who have been tested, 269,127 have tested positive (an increase of 1,887 since Wednesday)
• There are currently 8,560 people in hospital (down 11% from this time last week)
• 37,837 people have now died (an increase of 377 deaths since yesterday)

The Prime Minister referenced the five tests that must be met before any changes can be made to the lockdown rules. These are:

1. Protecting NHS capacity
2. Sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate
3. Rate of infection decreasing to manageable levels across the board
4. Testing capacity and PPE supply able to meet demand
5. Any adjustments to the current measures must not risk a second peak of infections

The PM announced that the five tests are being met, so the Government can move forward with adjusting the lockdown measures on Monday 1st June. Nurseries, early years settings and some primary school years will reopen on that date, alongside outdoor retail and car showrooms. The Government intends to reopen other non-essential retail on 15th June, provided that the five tests are still being met and shops are being made Covid secure.

From Monday, will also allow up to six people to meet outside provided those from different households can adhere to social distancing rules. This will now allow people to meet in gardens and other private outdoor spaces. At this stage, those who have been asked to shield themselves should continue to do so.

Scotland Sets out Next Steps for Relaxation of Lockdown

Published 29th May    

Nicola Sturgeon has set out the next stage of easing restrictions in Scotland, which will take effect from today. Measures announced include:

• People from two different households will be able to meet outdoors.
  
• Garden centres, drive through takeaways and recycling centres will be able to open
• People will be able to sit outside and sunbathe in parks and open areas, and travel within their local area for exercise

NHS Test and Trace Launched

Published 29th May  

From yesterday, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will need to share information about their recent interactions. This could include household members, people with whom they have been in direct contact, or within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes.

People identified as having been in close contact with someone who has a positive test must stay at home for 14 days, even if they do not have symptoms, to stop unknowingly spreading the virus.

If those in isolation develop symptoms, they can book a test at here or by calling 119. If they test positive, they must continue to stay at home for 7 days or until their symptoms have passed. If they test negative, they must complete the 14-day isolation period.

Members of their household will not have to stay at home unless the person identified becomes symptomatic, at which point they must also self-isolate for 14 days to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.

Helping employers support employees

Published 28th May    

Watch a YouTube video about the support available to help employers and their employees deal with the economic impact of coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) including:

• the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
• Statutory Sick Pay
• furloughed employees and more

Daily Briefing

Published 28th May    

Yesterday's daily briefing was led by Health Secretary, Matt Hancock. The highlights from the briefings were:

• As 27 May, there have been 3,798,490 tests, with 117,013 tests on 26 May. As of 5pm on 26 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 37,460 have sadly died.
• Matt Hancock announced the NHS Test and Trace that will start from 9am today. The NHS Test and Trace Service will seek to identify people that are infected and there recent interactions with people.
• There are three steps to the NHS Test and Trace process: Step 1 if you have coronavirus symptoms you must self-isolation, Step 2 Book a test immediately, Step 3 If you test positive for coronavirus you will be contacted by an NHS contract tracer and asked to share information on people you have been in contact with, the people you have been in contact with will be asked to self-isolate.
• Matt Hancock also confirmed that testing eligibility will be expanded to include the under 5s.

Retail Sector Guidance Scotland

Published 28th May    

The Scottish Government has released new guidance for non-essential retailers on reopening their businesses available here. The publication of this guidance does not signal an immediate change in Scotland's lockdown policy. The guidance covers procedures for staff customers and operational checklists.

Daily press conference

Published 27th May   

Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• 3,681,295 tests have now been carried out, 109,979 of which were carried out on Monday. Of those who have been tested, 265,227 have tested positive (an increase of 2,004 since Monday)
• There are currently 8,802 people in hospital
• 37,048 people have now died (an increase of 134 deaths since yesterday - there were no recorded deaths in Northern Ireland)

The Health Secretary noted that the Government was making progress on meeting the demand for PPE, but that the situation continued to be challenging due to global demand.

Mr Hancock updated on new treatments for coronavirus, specifically on the anti-viral drug Remdesivir which is being used in a new trial of NHS patients. This new treatment can potentially reduce the recovery time by several days. The Government is prioritising the use of treatment where it will provide the greatest benefit, and Mr Hancock referred to this treatment as ‘the biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus since the crisis began.'

Working safely during coronavirus: shops & branches webinar

Published 26th May  

The UK Government, in consultation with industry, has produced guidance for businesses in England, to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. Join this free webinar, hosted by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to find out more about how to make your workplace COVID-secure.

This webinar is designed to be relevant for shops and branches

• This guidance covers shops that are currently open, such as shops selling food and chemists.
• Shops also includes non-food stores, fashion stores and other types of retail that are currently closed. The webinar will help businesses consider what operations may need to look like when they are allowed to open.
• Branches include bank branches and other open money businesses.

The coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme is now live 

Published 26th May 

If you're an employer with fewer than 250 employees, you can now claim for coronavirus-related Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). If you have a tax agent, they can also make claims on your behalf.

For more information and to make a claim now, visit GOV.UK and search 'Check if you can claim back Statutory Sick Pay paid to employees due to coronavirus (COVID-19)'.

You're eligible to use the scheme if you meet all of the following criteria:

• you're claiming for an employee who's eligible for sick pay due to coronavirus
• you had a PAYE payroll scheme in operation before 28 February 2020
• you had fewer than 250 employees across all PAYE schemes on 28 February 2020
• you're eligible to receive state aid under the EU Commission Temporary Framework

The repayment will cover up to two weeks of the applicable rate of SSP, and is payable if a current or former employee was unable to work on or after 13 March 2020 and entitled to SSP, because they either:

• had or have coronavirus
• could not or cannot work because they were/are self-isolating at home
• were/are shielding in line with public health guidance

Non-essential retailers to reopen from 15 June

Published 26th May   

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in yesterday's conference that non-essential retailers will be able to reopen stores in England from June 15 as long as social distancing measures are implemented.

In addition to this, open air markets and car showrooms will be also be allowed to open from 1 June. 

New guidance has been published for the retail sector "detailing the measures they should take to meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards".

High streets minister Simon Clarke introduced a £50 million fund over the weekend for local councils to support their high streets.

The Reopening High Streets Safely Fund will "help councils in England introduce a range of safety measures in a move to kick-start local economies, get people back to work and customers back to the shops".

The full list of retailers allowed to open is below.

• Food retailers
• Chemists
• Hardware/homeware stores
• Fashion shops
• Charity shops
• Betting shops and arcades
• Tailors, dress fitters and fashion designers
• Car dealerships
• Auction houses
• Antique stores
• Retail art galleries
• Photography studios
• Gift shops and retail spaces in theatres, museums, libraries, heritage sites and tourism sites
• Mobile phone stores
• Indoor and outdoor markets
• Craft fairs

Daily Press Conference

Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• 3,090,566 tests have now been carried out, 128,340 of which were carried out yesterday. Of those who have been tested, 250,908 have tested positive (an increase of 2,615 since yesterday)
• There are currently 9,543 people in hospital (down 14% from this time last week)
• 36,042 people have now died (an increase of 338 deaths since yesterday)

The Health Secretary spoke about Mental Health Awareness Week, advising the public of the importance of seeking help, and pointing to the additional resources available to health and care workers. Mr Hancock announced a further £4.2m of funding for mental health charities.

The Health Secretary also updated on the Government's plans for testing, with two main developments:

• A new test is being trialled from today, where results can be delivered within minutes instead of being sent to a laboratory. This test is intended for those who are currently displaying symptoms.
  
• Based on an initial limited sample of antibody testing, 17% of people in London and 5% (or higher) of people in the rest of the UK have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies (meaning those people have had the virus at some point). Antibody testing will be rolled out gradually in the coming weeks, although the Government is not yet in a position to say that those who test positive for antibody tests are immune to the virus.

Scotland Sets Out Roadmap to Easing Lockdown Restrictions

Published 22nd May   

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday that Scotland would be likely to take the first step toward relaxing lockdown measures from 28th May.

Measures that are likely to take effect from 28th May include:

• Allowing people to meet outside with people from one other household.
• An increased number of children will have access to critical childcare - which has been provided for the children of key workers during lockdown.
• Garden centres (excluding café/restaurant facilities within) and recycling facilities will reopen, and outdoor activities such as golf, fishing, tennis and bowls will be allowed again.
• There will be a gradual reopening of drive through food outlets.

The situation will be reviewed every three weeks, with further phases of easing being introduced if enough progress is being made on keeping the virus under control. The full document is available here.

Daily Press Conference

Secretary of State for Culture Oliver Dowden gave yesterday's press conference. These are the key points:

• 2,962,227 tests have been carried out in the UK including 177,216 tests carried out yesterday. Of those tested, 248,293 have tested positive (an increase of 2,472 since yesterday).
• There are currently 9,953 people in hospital (down 13% from this time last week).
• 35,704 people have died (an increase of 363 deaths since Tuesday).

The Culture Secretary confirmed that the Queen's birthday honours list will be delayed until autumn so that it can include honours for NHS staff and others who have contributed during the coronavirus crisis. He also announced that a taskforce will be established to help the arts and sports "bounce back" which will be made up of experts to find new and different ways to get the industries back up and running.

Prime Minister Sets Timeframe for Contact Tracing

At Prime Minister's Questions today, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK will have 25,000 contract tracers, able to track 10,000 new cases a day, in place by 1st June. The NHS contact tracing app is currently being trialled on the Isle of Wight.

Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme

Published 20th May   

A new HMRC online service will be launched on 26th May for small and medium-sized employers (fewer than 250 employees) to claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) payments they have made to their employees. Employers will be able to make claims for up to two weeks SSP paid to current or former employers for eligible periods of sickness starting on or after 13th March 2020 or 16th April for colleagues that are shielding. Eligible periods of sickness includes if the employee was unable to work because they have coronavirus, are self-isolating and unable to work from home or are shielding because they've been advised that they're at high risk. More information is available here.

Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme Extended

Published 20th May   

The Government has increased the maximum loan size available through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme from £50m to £200m. Businesses borrowing more than £50m through the loan scheme will also be subject to restrictions on dividend payments, senior pay and share buy-backs during the period of the loan, including a ban on dividend payments and cash bonuses, except where already agreed. These restrictions will also apply to the Bank of England's Coronavirus Corporate Financing Fund. Loans will be made available to large businesses from 26th May. More information is available here.

Daily Press Conference

Published 19th May   

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• 2,682,716 tests have now been carried out, 100,678 of which were carried out yesterday. Of those who have been tested, 246,406 have tested positive (an increase of 2,684 since yesterday)
• There are currently 9,408 people in hospital (down 13% from this time last week)
• 34,796 people have now died (an increase of 160 deaths since yesterday)

The Foreign Secretary reiterated the Government's ambition to ease measures in the future, and urged the public to adhere to the current restrictions that are in place.

Testing Eligibility Expanded

The Government have today announced that anyone over the age of 5 that is displaying symptoms can be tested for coronavirus. The Department of Health and Social Care have now digitised the process for booking tests. The portal enables individuals to book a test themselves, accessible here.

Alternatively, employers can refer staff using the employer portal. Accounts for this portal can be requested by emailing portalservicedesk@dhsc.gov.uk.

Holiday Entitlements

Published 15th May  

The Government has published new guidance on holiday entitlement and pay during Coronavirus, which is available here. The key information is below:

Employers can:

• require workers to take holiday
• cancel a worker's holiday, if they give enough notice to the worker

The required notice periods are:

• double the length of the holiday if the employer wishes to require a worker to take holiday on particular days
• the length of the planned holiday if the employer wishes to cancel a worker's holiday or require the worker not to take holiday on particular dates

Furloughed Staff

Published 15th May  

Workers who have been placed on furlough continue to accrue statutory holiday entitlements, and any additional holiday provided for under their employment contract.

If a worker on furlough takes annual leave, an employer must calculate and pay the correct holiday pay in accordance with current legislation - see the standard guidance. Where this calculated rate is above the pay the worker receives while on furlough, the employer must pay the difference. However, as taking holiday does not break the furlough period, the employer can continue to claim the 80% grant from the government to cover most of the cost of holiday pay.

Face Coverings - Official Advice

Published 15th May   

Following the updated advice from the Government, ACS has collated the key information relating to face coverings below.

The Government has updated its official advice on face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wearing a face covering is optional and is not required by law, including in the workplace. Face coverings are referenced in the new guidance Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) and Staying alert and safe (social distancing). The Government's press release on face coverings is available here.

In the guidance to the public, the Government states that "face coverings can help us protect each other and reduce the spread of the disease if you are in an enclosed space where social distancing isn't possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet. This is most relevant for short periods indoors in crowded areas, for example on public transport or in some shops." The guidance also recommends that people make their own cloth face coverings and guidance on this is available here.

In the guidance to employers, the Government states that "there are some circumstances when wearing a face covering may be marginally beneficial as a precautionary measure. The evidence suggests that wearing a face covering does not protect you, but it may protect others if you are infected but have not developed symptoms." The guidance also states that the evidence of the benefit of using a face covering to protect others is weak and they should not be used as a replacement for other risk management measures such as social distancing and handwashing. This guidance states that face coverings can be disposed of in your usual waste.

The key information to communicate to employees using face coverings is:

• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on, and after removing it
• when wearing a face covering, avoid touching your face or face covering, as you could contaminate them with germs from your hands
• change your face covering if it becomes damp or if you've touched it
• continue to wash your hands regularly
• change and wash your face covering daily
• if the material is washable, wash in line with manufacturer's instructions. If it's not washable, dispose of it carefully in your usual waste
• practise social distancing wherever possible

Safer Public Places - Urban Centres and Green Spaces

Published 14th May  

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have published new guidance on the management of public spaces here. This include guidance on the management of social distancing on high streets and town centres, semi-enclosed retail spaces and areas surrounding transport hubs.

Working Safely Guidance

Furlough Scheme Extension

Published 13th May 

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced yesterday that the furlough scheme would be extended to the end of October (previously set to end at the end of June).

The scheme will operate on the same terms initially, with the Government funding 80% of monthly wages per worker up to £2,500. From August, furloughed workers will be able to return to work part-time with employers being asked to pay a percentage towards the salaries of their furloughed staff. The employer payments will substitute the contribution that the Government is currently making, ensuring that staff continue to receive 80% of their salary, up to £2,500 a month.

More information about the furlough scheme is available here.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rebate scheme webinar

Published 12th May 

This webinar gives an overview of the SSP rebate scheme, including: who can claim when to start paying SSP employees you can claim for making a claim keeping records and more.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - Updates for employers

Published 12th May

• Save and return option now added- In response to feedback from customers using the service, HMRC have added a 'save and return' option. This means that you can now return to a partially completed claim, rather than having to do it all in one go.
• After you make a claim - reporting employees' wages to HMRC- If you've claimed a grant through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, you should check if you need to report payments on the PAYE Real Time Information system. This will depend on whether you are using the grant to pay wages or to reimburse wages that you've already paid. To find guidance on this, go to GOV.UK and search for 'report wages Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme'.
• Find out more in recorded webinars- Want more information? There are two HMRC webinars about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on their YouTube channel 'HMRCgovuk' - an overview of the scheme and a detailed session about how to make a claim.
• Stay vigilant about scams, which may mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic and unthreatening. Search 'scams' on GOV.UK for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact. You can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
  

Press Conference

Published 12th May

The Prime Minister led the daily press conference, the highlights are below:

• As of 11th May, 1,400,107 people have been tested of which 223,060 tested positive. There have been 32,065 deaths as result of Covid-19 an increase of 210 yesterday.
• The Government published a 50 page document detailing their recovery strategy here (more details below). The Prime Minister gave a statement to the House of Commons on the recovery strategy and took questions from members of parliament earlier today.
• There is a new Covid Alert System which has alert levels determined by the ‘R' rating (infection rate). We are currently at level 4 where "transmission is high or rising exponentially", but are moving to level 3 where "a Covid-19 epidemic is in general circulation". More details on the Covid Alert System is available on page 38 of the recovery plan.
  
• The Government has changed its messaging from Stay at Home to ‘Stay Alert'. Devolved nations have retained the ‘Stay at Home' messaging.

Recovery Strategy

Published 12th May

The Government has published its roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions, entitled Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy. The roadmap sets out a three-stage phased approach for changing existing lockdown restrictions:

Step One - the following changes apply from 13th May

• Workplaces should follow the new ‘Covid-19 Secure Guidelines', which were published yesterday evening here, including specific guidance for ‘shops and branches' here.
• - People should aim to wear a face covering (not face mask) in some shops and public transport, where social distancing is not always possible. The Government's press release and advice on face coverings is here and states "They do not need to be worn outdoors, while exercising, in schools, in workplaces such as offices, and retail"
• Employers can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus by changing rotas to keep smaller, contained teams, and keeping spaces well-ventilated.

Step Two - beginning no earlier than 1st June

• Open non-essential retail in phases, subject to those retailers following the new ‘Covid-19 Secure Guidelines'. Further guidance on phasing and timeframes will be published shortly.

Step Three - beginning no earlier than 4th July

• Open at least some of the remaining premises that have been required to close due to Covid-19.

Lockdown Review

Published 11th May

Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation at 7pm yesterday evening, setting out the next steps toward relaxation of the lockdown. Government messaging has changed to "Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives", reflecting the next stage of the process. The Prime Minister's full statement is available here.

The ‘roadmap for reopening society' includes a new Covid alert system, primarily determined by the R number (rate of reproduction of the virus). The Prime Minister made clear in his address that any lifting of restrictions is conditional on the virus infection rate staying below 1.

The following modifications to the lockdown restrictions will come into effect in England only:

• From today, the message is to work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can't work from home (the PM mentioned construction and manufacturing specifically).
• From Wednesday, people will be able to take exercise more than once a day, and play sports with members of their household
• There will be an increase in the fines for those who break the social distancing rules.

The Government hopes to start a phased reopening of shops and primary schools at the start of June, and by July, the Government hopes to reopen some of the hospitality industry and other public places.

The Prime Minister is set to announce more detail on the roadmap in Parliament today.

Devolved Assemblies

Published 11th May

The Scottish and Welsh Governments are continuing to promote the ‘Stay at Home' messaging, with the following minor changes to the lockdown rules:

Wales: From today, people will be allowed to exercise more than once a day, but will be told not to travel a significant distance from home. Garden centres will also be allowed to reopen, provided they can ensure that social distancing measures are followed.

Scotland: From today, people will be allowed to exercise more than once a day. There are no other changes to the lockdown restrictions in Scotland.

Press Conference

Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick led yesterday's press conference. The latest data shows the following:

• 1,448,010 tests have now been carried out, including 69,463 yesterday.
• 201,101 people have tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 6,111 since yesterday.
• 13,615 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19 (down from 13,922 yesterday), and 30,076 people have now died (an increase of 649 since yesterday).

Mr Jenrick also noted that the Government is continuing to look at how workplaces can be adapted, how outdoor spaces, leisure areas and businesses can be managed, and how public transport networks can operate safely after the lockdown restrictions are eased. No significant further details were provided during the briefing.

Business Rates Revaluation Delayed

Published 7th May

The Government has announced that the scheduled business rates revaluation will no longer take place in 2021 to help ease uncertainty for firms affected by Covid-19. More details are available here.

Legislation had been introduced to bring the next revaluation forward by one year from 2022 to 2021, but following the recent economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic ministers want to ensure businesses have more certainty during this difficult time. 

Press Conference

Published 6th May

• The latest data on testing is; a total of 1.3million tests completed across the UK, including 84,000 tests yesterday. There have been a total of 29,427 deaths as result of Covid-19.
• The First Secretary of State said that we continue to see evidence of a flattening of the peak of the virus, but the challenge is not over. In the coming days SAGE with give further advice to the Government.
• Later this week the PM will update the country on measures to safeguard the economy, NHS and avoid a second peak. Speaking about the second phase of response to Covid-19 Raab said "we will need to adjust to a new normal, where we as a society, adapt to safe ways to work, to travel, to interact and go about our daily lives."
• The First Secretary of State also warned of growing threats from organised criminal gangs and cyber threats. The National Cyber Security Centre has issued a joint warning about the cyber threats that are largely focused on stealing bulk personal data. More information is available here.

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

Published 5th May

HMRC has published new information on its Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which will provide a taxable grant of 80% of average monthly trading profits capped at £7,500 over three months. Self-employed retailers may be eligible if they are either unable to work due to public health guidance or have had to temporarily scale down or stop trading. Retailers can check their eligibility using a new HMRC tool with their self-assessment unique taxpayer reference. The online portal to make claims will go live on 13th May and HMRC is contacting eligible individuals separately. Further information is available here.

Bounce Back Loans

Published 5th May

Press Conference

Published 5th May

Health Secretary Matt Hancock led yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

The latest data shows that 1,291,000 tests have now been carried out (85,186 of which were carried out yesterday), with 190,584 testing positive for Covid-19 - an increase of 3,985 since yesterday. The number of people in hospital stands at 13,258, and 28,734 have now died (an increase of 288 since yesterday across all settings - a lower figure than at any point since the end of March).

The Health Secretary also reported that there are currently 3,413 spare critical care beds in the NHS.

Mr Hancock updated on the development of the Government's test, track and trace program. From tomorrow, the program will be piloted on the Ise of Wight with people on the island being asked to download the test, track and trace app by the end of the week. Those who fall ill with Covid-19 symptoms should report this to the app, which will then alert those who have been in close contact with the sufferer. A test ordering function will be built in to the app.

Press Conference

Published 1st May

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

The latest data shows that 901,905 tests have now been carried out (81,611 of which were carried out yesterday), with 171,253 testing positive for Covid-19 - an increase of 6,032 since yesterday. The number of people in hospital stands at 15,043, and 26,711 have now died (an increase of 674 since yesterday across all settings).

The Prime Minister announced that the UK is now past the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, and that the NHS has not been overwhelmed at any point to date. The PM reiterated the importance of satisfying the five key tests, but also said that next week, the Government will outline in more detail plans to achieve the following:

• Get the economy moving again
• Enable children to get back into school and childcare
• Outline how we can travel to work and make life in the workplace safer

The Prime Minister stressed that keeping the R0 number (reproduction rate of the disease) below 1 (each person who has the disease passes it on to less than one other on average) is crucial to ensuring that there is minimal risk of a second peak.

Coronavirus Testing

Published 30th April

The government announced further expansion of access to coronavirus testing to help protect the most vulnerable. Anyone in England with coronavirus symptoms who either has to leave home to go to work or who is aged 65 and over will now also be able to get tested. Full guidance is available here and the self-referral testing portal can be accessed here. With regard to the employer referral process, which was launched last Friday. We are aware that there is currently a backlog delay in delivering employers with their login credentials for the employer referral portal.

Daily Press Conference

Published 30th April

Dominic Raab, First Secretary of State, led yesterday's press conference. The highlights from the conference are:

• A total of 26,097 people have died with coronavirus in the UK from 2 March to 28 April. The increase in deaths by 3811 is a reflection of a change in methodology, with figures now including deaths from all care settings, such as care homes and the wider community.
• The data sets from the press conference are available here. This is includes a comparison of the new figures on deaths from ALL settings as opposed to just hospital deaths.
  
• The First Secretary of State referenced Germany's increase in infection rates following the easing of lockdown measures and stated that the UK must proceed carefully with existing social distancing measures.
• The First Secretary of State confirmed that 52,000 coronavirus test took place today, but tomorrow is the government's self-imposed deadline to reach 100,000 tests per day.
  

Daily Press Conference

Published 29th April

Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

The latest data shows that 763,387 people have been tested to date (43,453 tests were carried out yesterday), with 61,345 testing positive. There are currently 15,796 people in hospital with Coronavirus, and 21,678 have now died in hospital.

The Health Secretary noted that the nation's efforts to protect the NHS were working, as there are now 3,260 spare critical care beds available.

The Health Secretary also updated the Government's plans for reaching the goal of 100,000 tests a day. The Government is increasing the dispatch of home tests and drive through testing centres, and is now expanding access to testing further, including the following new groups:

• asymptomatic patients and staff in care homes and in the NHS
• all over 65s and their households (with symptoms)
• all workers who have to leave their homes to go to work (with symptoms)

Scottish Government Recommends Face Coverings in Shops

Published 29th April
 

HMRC scam warning

Published 29th April

HMRC have warned businesses to stay vigilant about scams, which may mimic government messages such as 'Stay at home' and 'Stay home, stay safe', as a way of appearing authentic and unthreatening.

Don't give out private information or reply to text messages, and don't download attachments or click on links in texts or emails you weren't expecting. You can forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.

Daily Press Conference

Published 28th April

• The latest data shows that a total of 21,092 people hospitalised with coronavirus have now died, but the trend overall is a gradual decline.
• Matt Hancock confirmed that families of NHS and social care staff who die from coronavirus in the course of "essential frontline work" will receive a £60,000 bereavement payment.
• A&E attendances have dropped by more than half during this pandemic, but Matt Hancock confirms restoration of NHS services and urges people to come forward.
• A new feature was introduced to the daily press conference, inviting a question from a member of the public selected by an independent polling agency. The first question addressed how soon family members will be able to make contact after the Government's five tests have been met.

Chancellor Announces Loan Scheme

Published 28th April

The Chancellor has announced that the Government will provide 100% government-guaranteed loans for the UK's smallest businesses. The Bounce Back Loans scheme will provide microbusinesses with loans for 25% of their turnover, up to a maximum of £50,000. The Government will provide lenders with a 100% guarantee for these loans and will pay the interest for the first twelve months. No repayments will be due during the first 12 months. The Bounce Back loans will be available from 9am on Monday 4th May. The Chancellor stated that the Government will not provide an 100% guarantee on the previously announced loan schemes for larger businesses. Read more here.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme update

Published 27th April

This Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme calculator can now also be used to work out what you can claim for most employees who are paid regular as well as variable amounts each pay period (for example, weekly or monthly).

For more information, click here.

Welsh Government Updates Stay-at-Home Rules

Published 27th April

The Welsh Government is changing the core requirement for people not to leave the place where they live to a requirement not to leave or remain away from that place.

The Welsh Government hope that this will help clarify that people who leave their home with a reasonable excuse cannot remain outside to do other things. For more information, click here.

Scottish Government Publish Framework for Easing Lockdown

Published 27th April

The Scottish Government has set out their position on the ongoing period of lockdown and have outlined the factors that must be considered as they move gradually to ease restrictions. In their framework for decision making, they state that Scotland must be prepared for restrictions to be reimposed as well as lifted and that any lifting of restrictions will rely on high levels of support and compliance from the whole population with any continued physical distancing. For more information, click here.

Daily Press Conference

Published 24th April

Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, led yesterday's daily briefing. The highlights from the briefings are:

Matt Hancock announces a "test, track and trace" programme to help the UK out of the lockdown.

• Test: From today, all essential workers and their families can book tests on gov.uk. Employers will be able to go online and book a test for their employees (see more details below)
• Track: An NHS contact tracing app is under development allowing people suffering with symptoms to notify the NHS and other apps users that they have been contact and necessary action can be taken
• Trace: The Government will hire 18,000 people to roll out a government tracing service.

The latest test figures are: a total of 425,821 people have been tested, 4,583 people have tested positive, and deaths have increased by 616 yesterday.

COVID-19 Key Worker Testing Update

As confirmed in yesterday's press conference, the Government will be imminently launching a digital booking system for employers to use to book tests for key workers. The tests are for colleagues self-isolating because they are showing symptoms of the coronavirus or because members of their household are showing symptoms of the coronavirus.  

Tenant Support

Published 24th April

The Government is temporarily banning the use of statutory demands and winding up orders where retailers are struggling to pay bills due to covid-19. The measures will be included in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill. The Government is also preventing landlords from using Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) unless they are owed 90 days of unpaid rent. These measures will apply until 30th June and may be extended. Further information is available here. 

Deferral of VAT payments due to coronavirus (COVID-19)

Published 23rd April 

The deadline date to utilise the VAT payment deferral announced by the Chancellor is the 7th of May.

There's no need to apply for a deferral but you are still required to file a return through the normal route, including MTD if applicable.

Direct Debit payers will need to cancel their direct debit with their banks. If they don't HMRC will request payment. There is no automatic deferral of Direct Debit payment.

The GOV.UK guidance is here.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - how to make a claim

Published 23rd April 

This webinar provides a step-by-step guide on how to make a claim through the scheme, including:

• essential information you need before you start
• how to work out your claim
• what happens after you submit your claim

Latest Measures from the Scottish Government

Published 23rd April 

The Scottish Government has strengthened its social distancing measures by formalising the two metre distancing rules to all businesses that remain open. Businesses that do not take all reasonable measures to enforce those rules could be fined or ultimately prosecuted. The Scottish Government a £45 million Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund to support small businesses. The fund will be managed by Enterprise Agencies in Scotland with the aim to support vulnerable SMEs who are vital to the local or national economic foundations of Scotland.

Daily Press Conference

Published 23rd April     

The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave yesterday’s press conference. The most recent data shows that 559,935 people have been tested, and of those 133,495 have tested positive. 18,100 people have now died.

• The Government continue to take steps to slow the spread of the virus. Social distancing measures have meant that fewer people have needed to go to hospital.
  
• The Foreign Secretary also stated: "we are making progress through the peak of this virus - but we're not out of the woods yet."
  
• The Government warned that if the lockdown is lifted and social distancing measures are eased now the greatest risk would be a second spike in the virus and a second lockdown.

Daily Press Conference

Published 22nd April    

• In yesterday's press conference the Government reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the PPE needed by healthcare workers. The Government is seeking to secure supply of PPE from around the globe and increasing UK provision of PPE by working with 159 UK based manufacturers.
  
• The Government remains committed to vaccine development, the Health Secretary confirmed a vaccine currently being worked on by Oxford University will be trialled in humans from this Thursday
• 397,670 people have been tested of which 129,044 tested positive. Of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 17,337 have died, a daily increase of 823.
  

Grant Fund Allocation

Published 22nd April     

The Government are tracking the amount of grant funding that has been allocated to business under the Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grant Fund. So far £6.11 billion has been paid out to 491,725 business properties, approximately half of the grant funding allocated.

Job Retention Scheme non-discretionary payments

Published 22nd April      

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme portal is now open, with detailed information on how you can make your claim available on the ActSmart website here.

Clarity has now been provided on how to calculate wages for staff that are paid non-discretionary amounts such as commission. The amount you should use when calculating 80% of your employees' wages is regular payments you are obliged to make, including:

• regular wages you pay to employees
• non-discretionary overtime
• non-discretionary fees
• non-discretionary commission payments
• piece rate payments

Employees whose pay varies and were employed from 6 April 2019:

If the employee has been employed continuously from the start of the 2019 to 2020 tax year, you can claim the highest of either:

80% of the same month's wages from the previous year (up to a maximum of £2,500 a month)
80% of the average monthly wages for the 2019 to 2020 tax year (up to a maximum of £2,500 a month)

Daily Press Conference

Published 21st April   

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak gave yesterday's press conference. The latest data shows that 501,379 people have been tested, and of those 124,743 have tested positive. 16,509 people have now died.

• The Government are working hard at getting PPE to NHS front line staff and continue to pursue every possible option for PPE procurement.
• Yesterday the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme launched. As of 4pm yesterday, more than 140,000 businesses had applied. The grants they received will help pay the wages of more than 1 million people. Businesses applying today should receive funding within six working days.
• The Chancellor stated that they are not only maintaining companies and jobs that already exist but are also encouraging the businesses, technologies and jobs of the future by launching a £1.25 billion government support packaged for innovation. The package includes a £500m investment fund high-growth businesses, called the Future Fund, and £750m of targeted support for small and medium sized businesses focusing on research and development.
• The Chancellor also reconfirmed the government's approach to the lockdown and that measures would not be lifted until they were confident about five specific things, including any adjustments will not risk a second peak that will overwhelm the NHS.
  

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme online claim service now open

Published 20th April   

You can now claim for 80% of your employee's wages plus any employer National Insurance and pension contributions, if you have put them on furlough because of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Information on what you'll need and how to claim can be found on the Government website here.

Scottish Government Extends Support for Businesses

Published 20th April   

The Scottish Government extended its support for businesses, with changes to the Small Business Grant scheme and the notice period for commercial tenants.

The notice period before a commercial lease can be terminated for non-payment of rent has been extended from 14 days to 14 weeks to relieve pressure on commercial tenants during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Scottish Government has also extended the Small Business Grants scheme to allow businesses to be eligible for a 75% grant on subsequent properties, in addition to 100% relief on their first property. The Scheme is expected to be ready for applications on 5th May.  

Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Published 20th April   

A government-backed loan scheme for large businesses affected by coronavirus has been expanded to cover all viable firms. Businesses with turnover of more than £45m will be able to apply for government-backed support. Businesses with a turnover of more than £250 million can borrow up to £50 million from lenders.

ActSmart Furlough Letter Template

Published 17th April     

ActSmart have produced a free-to-download template for employers to use to confirm that there is an agreement to temporarily furlough a worker or employee. The letter can be downloaded from the ActSmart website here.

Furlough Scheme Cut Off Date Extended to 19th March

Published 17th April     

The Government has announced that the cut off point for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended to 19th March. To qualify and to protect against fraudulent claims, individuals originally had to be employed on February 28th 2020, but following a review of the delivery system and to ensure the scheme helps as many people as possible, the eligibility date has been extended to March 19th 2020 - the day before the scheme was announced.

The online claim service will be launched on GOV.UK on 20th April, and claims will be paid within six working days. More information about the announcement is available on the GOV.UK website here.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme online claim service launches on 20 April

Published 17th April    

Employers will be able to access funding for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme from Monday 20th April. The Scheme will now be open for applications until the end of June, previously the end of May. The eligibility cut-off date has also now been extended to anyone who was on payroll on or before 19th March 2020. 

Under the scheme, retailers can apply for a grant to cover 80% of the salary of retained workers, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. The Government has stated that there will be a period of six days between submitting an application and receiving funds while fraud checks are completed. Businesses should receive funds to pay furloughed employees before the end of the month, with the scheme fully operational next week.  

As you prepare to make a claim, please note:

• the online claim service will be launched on GOV.UK on 20 April 2020 - please do not try to access it before this date as it won't be available
• the only way to make a claim is online - the service should be simple to use and any support you need available on GOV.UK; this will include help with calculating the amount you can claim
• you can make the claim yourself even if you usually use an agent
• claims will be paid within 6 working days; you should not contact us unless it is absolutely necessary - any queries should be directed to your agent, representative or our webchat service
• we cannot answer any queries from employees - they will need to raise these with you, as their employer, directly.

Information you will need before you make a claim:

• Government Gateway (GG) ID and password - if you don't already have a GG account, you can apply for one online, or by going to GOV.UK and searching for 'HMRC services: sign in or register'
• be enrolled for PAYE online - if you aren't registered yet, you can do so now, or by going to GOV.UK and searching for 'PAYE Online for employers'
• the following information for each furloughed employee you will be claiming for:

1. Name.
2. National Insurance number.
3. Claim period and claim amount.
4. PAYE/employee number (optional).

• if you have fewer than 100 furloughed staff - you will need to input information directly into the system for each employee
• if you have 100 or more furloughed staff - you will need to upload a file with information for each employee; we will accept the following file types: .xls .xlsx .csv .ods.

Daily Press Conference

Published 17th April    

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab MP gave yesterday's press conference. Today's data shows that 327,608 people have been tested, of those 103,093 have tested positive. 13,729 people have now died.

The Foreign Secretary confirmed that the lockdown/ social distancing measures that have been in place to date are to continue for at least the next three weeks.

Mr Raab set out five specific things that the Government must be confident of before any changes can be made:

1. The Government must be confident that the NHS can provide the necessary specialist treatment to those who have Covid-19
2. There must be a sustained and consistent fall in daily death rates
3. There must be reliable data showing that the rate of infection is decreasing
4. The Government must be confident that testing capacity and supply of PPE is able to meet demand
5. The Government must be confident that any adjustments will not risk a second peak that will overwhelm the NHS

The Foreign Secretary said that relaxing any of the measures currently in place would risk further damage to both public health and the economy, and that we must keep up the national effort to stay at home for a while longer.

Daily Press Conference

Published 16th April   

Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care Secretary, gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• The latest figures show there are 98,476 confirmed cases of coronavirus and the number of deaths has increased today by 761 to a total of 12,868.
• Today's press briefing focused on the government's support for the social care system. The government plan to increase testing for all symptomatic residents in care homes, patients discharged from hospital to care homes and all care staff that need one.
• The Government will also increase provision of PPE to social care workers and are developing a single brand for social care.

Daily Press Conference

Published 15th April  

Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

The Chancellor commented on a new Office for Budget Responsibility report on the impact of coronavirus on the economy, stating that the report was not a forecast or prediction, but sets out what one scenario might look like.

The Chancellor made three main points about the report:

1. OBR figures suggest scale of what we're facing will have serious implications for the economy. Impact will be significant but temporary with an expected bounce back in growth.
2. The Government's planned economic response aims to directly support people and businesses while restrictions are in place. The Chancellor stated that the Government's response was the right response.
3. The Chancellor emphasised that the single most important thing we can do to protect the health of the economy is to protect the health of people. The Chancellor said that the Government is not making a choice between the economy and public health, but is following expert advice on the NHS' ability to cope.

As of today, 302,599 people have been tested for Covid-19. 93,873 people have tested positive. Of the 19,706 people that have been admitted to hospital, 12,107 have now died.

PHE Campaign Materials: ‘Looking Out for Each Other'

Published 15th April   

Public Health England have launched new campaign materials for businesses to share during the Covid-19 disruption. This campaign is to inform those who are well and not at risk, of the things that they can do to help support their friends and neighbours who need to stay at home because of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Campaign materials are available to download here.

Getting ready for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme 

Published 14th April  

If you're eligible for the scheme, there are things that you can do now to be ready when the system is up and running later this month. You'll need to provide the following to make a claim:

1. The bank account number and sort code you'd like us to use when we pay your claim.
2. The name and phone number of the person in your business for us to call with any questions.
3. Your Self-Assessment UTR (Unique Tax Reference), Company UTR or CRN (Company Registration Number).
4. The name, employee number and National Insurance number for each of your furloughed employees.
5. The total amount being claimed for all employees and the total furlough period.

If you use an agent who is authorised to act for you for PAYE purposes, they will be able to make a claim on your behalf, so please speak to them now.

However, if you use a file-only agent (files your RTI return but doesn't act for you in other matters), they won't be able to make a claim for you and you'll need the information listed above from them to make the claim yourself.

For more detailed advice, please visit GOV.UK. This guidance is being regularly updated, so please review it frequently.

You may also find this recorded webinar helpful, 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) Job Retention Scheme'.

Updated: Check if your employer can use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme 

Published 14th April  

Click here to find out if you're eligible, and how much your employer can claim if they put you on temporary leave ('furlough') because of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Updated 15th April: Additional categories for eligibility have now been added, read the updated information here.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Job Retention Scheme webinar update

Published 14th April 

Register for the next live government webinar about the Coronoavirus (COVID-19) Job Retention Scheme.

This webinar provides guidance on the Job Retention Scheme which will help support businesses and employers dealing with the economic impact of COVID-19 including:

• furloughed workers
• scheme eligibility
• how to calculate a claim and more

Secretary of State Thanks Retail Workers' Response to Covid-19

Published 14th April  

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma has written an open letter to those working in retail during the Coronavirus pandemic. The letter outlines the support that has been made available by the Government for retailers and thanks those working in stores for their contribution during COVID-19. The Minister wrote: "I would like to convey my heartfelt and personal thanks for everything that you are doing to support our joint national effort".

The letter is available here.

Latest coronavirus (COVID-19) updates for Companies House customers 

Published 9th April 

Companies House are experiencing delays in processing paper forms due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Where possible, use their online services to help us process your information as quickly as possible.
Companies House urgently working on a service to upload your documents and make a payment where necessary for the small number of filings that do not currently have an online service.

If you think the impact of COVID-19 will cause delays in filing your company accounts, you can apply for an automatic and immediate 3 month extension. You must apply before your filing deadline. 

Letter to the Retail Sector from Alok Sharma

Published 9th April 

Business Secretary Alok Sharma MP has published an open letter to the retail sector, in which he outlines the Government's support for retailers and thanks those working in and running stores. In the letter, Mr Sharma says: "Whether you're working in a shop, large or small, or in a distribution centre or supply chain supporting retailers operating online, I would like to convey my heartfelt and personal thanks for everything that you are doing to support our joint national effort." 

Daily Press Conference

Published 9th April 

Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• The latest figures on the spread of the virus are as follows: 232,708 people have been tested to date, of which 60,734 have tested positive (an increase of 5,492 since yesterday). 19,438 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus, and 7,097 have died as a result of Covid-19.
  
• The Chancellor updated on the Prime Minister's health. The PM remains in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital, where his condition is improving.
  
• The Chancellor outlined the Government's plan to support the charity sector in the UK. There will be £750m of funding for the charity sector, of which £370m will support small local charities.
  

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Job Retention Scheme webinar

Published 8th April 

Register for the next live government webinar about the Coronoavirus (COVID-19) Job Retention Scheme.

This webinar provides guidance on the Job Retention Scheme which will help support businesses and employers dealing with the economic impact of COVID-19 including:

• furloughed workers
• scheme eligibility
• how to calculate a claim and more

Update to VAT Notice 700/22: Making Tax Digital for VAT 

Published 8th April 

Making Tax Digital for VAT has been updated to reflect the decision to provide businesses with more time to place digital links between all parts of their functional compatible software.

HMRC have reminded businesses that despite this relaxation they still need to ensure they are keeping digital records, submitting VAT returns via an API enabled software and maintaining all digital links they currently have in place.

Read more information on the VAT notice here.

Daily Press Conference

Published 8th April 

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab MP gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• An update was provided on the Prime Minister's condition: he has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits. He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and is breathing without any other assistance. He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive breathing support.
• The latest testing figures are as follows: 213,181 people have been tested of which 55,242 tested positive and 6159 deaths.
• Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, suggested that the number of new case and hospital admissions are not accelerating.
  

Published 8th April 

New guidance on social distancing have been issued by the Welsh Government yesterday, outlining that retailers must take all reasonable measures to ensure that a distance of 2 metres is maintained between person on the premises and waiting to enter the premises.

These measures have been introduced using regulation in Wales and can be enforce by the police and local authorities by issuing fixed penalty notices of £60 to responsible persons.

Rent options during COVID-19 

Published 7th April 

The government has provided guidance for landlords and tenants on the provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020, and further advice for landlords, tenants and local authorities more broadly about their rights and responsibilities during the COVID-19 outbreak.  

The document states that there is no ‘one-size fits all' approach for landlords to take, as each tenant's circumstance is different and some will be worse affected in terms of their ability to pay than others.  Government has advised that landlords be flexible and have a frank and open conversation with their tenants at the earliest opportunity, to allow both parties to agree a sensible way forward.

Government Support:

• Businesses renting properties may be entitild to small business rate relief, whereby you will not pay business rates on a property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less.
• Small businesses in the retail sector are also receiving £25K Government grants per property, for each property with a rateable value over £15K and below £51K, and £10K grants per property with a rateable value below £15K. Read more here. 
  

Rent options during COVID-19 

Published 7th April 

The government has provided guidance for landlords and tenants on the provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020, and further advice for landlords, tenants and local authorities more broadly about their rights and responsibilities during the COVID-19 outbreak.  

The document states that there is no ‘one-size fits all' approach for landlords to take, as each tenant's circumstance is different and some will be worse affected in terms of their ability to pay than others.  Government has advised that landlords be flexible and have a frank and open conversation with their tenants at the earliest opportunity, to allow both parties to agree a sensible way forward.

Government Support:

• Businesses renting properties may be entitild to small business rate relief, whereby you will not pay business rates on a property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less.
• Small businesses in the retail sector are also receiving £25K Government grants per property, for each property with a rateable value over £15K and below £51K, and £10K grants per property with a rateable value below £15K. Read more here. 
  

Daily Press Conference

Published 7th April 

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab MP gave yesterday's press conference. These are the highlights:

• To date, 208,837 people have been tested for Covid-19. Of those, 51,608 people have tested positive, 17,911 have been admitted to hospital and 5,373 have died.
  
• The Prime Minister was admitted to hospital as a precautionary measure on Sunday (5th April) due to continued symptoms. The PM will continue to lead the Government.
  
• The Foreign Secretary updated on the Government's efforts to repatriate British people that remain abroad. £75m has been allocated to help with arranging flights for those in other countries. 

Register for the next live webinar about running your business through COVID-19.

This webinar provides an overview of the support available to help businesses deal with the economic impact of coronavirus including:

• the deferral of VAT and Income Tax payments
• the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
• the HMRC Time to Pay Scheme and more

Public Health England has updated its guidance to businesses on the use of facemasks in the workplace, noting that "there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from the use of face masks outside of the clinical or care settings, where they play a very important role." The full guidance for businesses is available here.

Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme Introduced

Published 6th April

The Scheme, introduced on Friday 3rd of April, will repay employers the current rate of SSP that they pay to current or former employees for periods of sickness starting on or after 13 March 2020. 

The repayment will cover up to 2 weeks starting from the first day of sickness, if an employee is unable to work because they either have coronavirus or cannot work because they are self-isolating at home.

The scheme covers all types of employment contracts and can be used by employers if they:

• are claiming for an employee who's eligible for sick pay due to coronavirus
• had a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February 2020
• had fewer than 250 employees on 28 February 2020

Details about when the new Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme can be accessed and when employers can make a claim will be announced as soon as possible.

Updates to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Published 6th April

This guidance has been updated with more information about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Additional information includes:

• If you made employees redundant or they stopped working for you after 28 February: If you made employees redundant, or they stopped working for you on or after 28 February 2020, you can re-employ them, put them on furlough and claim for their wages through the scheme.
• Shielding Employees: You can claim for furloughed employees who are shielding in line with public health guidance (or need to stay home with someone who is shielding) if they are unable to work from home and you would otherwise have to make them redundant.
• Employees with caring responsibilities: Employees who are unable to work because they have caring responsibilities resulting from coronavirus (COVID-19) can be furloughed. For example, employees that need to look after children can be furloughed.
• Apprentices: Apprentices can be furloughed in the same way as other employees and they can continue to train whilst furloughed. However, you must pay your Apprentices at least the Apprenticeship Minimum Wage, National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage (AMW/NLW/NMW) as appropriate for all the time they spend training. This means you must cover any shortfall between the amount you can claim for their wages through this scheme and their appropriate minimum wage. Guidance is available for changes in apprenticeship learning arrangements because of COVID-19.
• Apprenticeship Levy: The Apprenticeship Levy should continue to be paid as usual. Grants from the Job Retention Scheme do not cover these.
• Limb workers: The updated guidance also makes clear that the scheme can cover ‘limb (b) workers' - i.e. non-employees who satisfy the definition of ‘worker' in S.230(3)(b) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 - so long as they are paid through PAYE.
• The updated advice also provides answers to whether you can be furloughed if you currently have more than one employer, if you are on Universal Credit, if you are on maternity leave, adoption leave, paternity leave or shared parental leave and many other situations.
• Once you are on furlough you will not be able to work for your employer. You can undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, as long as you're not making money for your employer or a company linked or associated to your employer, or providing services to your employer or a company linked or associated to your employer.
• If your contract allows, you may undertake other employment while your current employer has placed you on furlough, and this will not affect the grant that they can claim under the scheme.

To read the full updated guidance visit the government website here.
 

Welsh Government Economic Resilience Fund

Published 6th April 

The Welsh Government has announced a new £500m fund to support businesses of all sizes, in addition to measures already announced.

Grants of £10,000 will be available for micro-businesses employing up to 9 people, with qualifying businesses able to apply from mid-April. Grants of up to £100,000 will be available for small and medium sized firms with between 10 and 249 employees. Qualifying businesses will be able to apply from this week (week commencing 6th April).

The fund will also support larger companies of social or economic importance. A new £100m Development Bank of Wales fund will also be available for companies experiencing cash flow problems as a result of COVID-19. This will provide loans of between £5,000 and £250,000 at favourable interest rates. More information is available here. 

Scottish Coronavirus Bill Passed

Published 6th April 

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill was formally introduced to the Scottish Parliament last week and passed through the entire legislative process by MSPs on Wednesday 1st April. The Bill gives emergency powers to the Scottish Government to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Bill also allows Scottish stores to deliver food and offer takeaway services, ensure stores which temporarily close will not have to re-apply for an alcohol licence on re-opening, and provide more flexibility for retailers on renewing alcohol licences.

Most measures in the Bill will automatically expire after six months and can be extended for a maximum of two further six-month periods.

Policing Guidance Published

Published 6th April 

The National Police Chief Council and College of Policing have issued new guidance to forces on their powers and approaches during the Covid-19 outbreak. The guidance makes clear that the police approach will focus on "Engage, Explain, Encourage and Enforce". The guidance makes clear that Environmental Health Officers lead on enforcement with businesses and that the police's main focus is the regulations relating to individuals.

Cash Grants for Shops

Published 6th April 

Further information on cash grants available to shops has been published by the Government confirming eligibility for the Small Business Grant Fund (£10,000) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (£25,000). IRC member ACS has produced guidance on the grant fund eligibility here and how you can gain access.

Chancellor Announces Extended Business Support

Published 3rd April 

The Chancellor has announced an extension to the support available for businesses affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Chancellor confirmed the government will extend the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to all viable small businesses affected by Covid-19, not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing. The government will also establish a Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme which will provide loans up to £25m to businesses with an annual turnover between £45m and £500m.

Lenders will also be banned from requesting personal guarantees on loans under £250,000. The Chancellor emphasised the importance for banks to move quickly to administer the loans in order to support the economy, jobs and businesses. 

Councils Receive Funding to Issue Cash Grants

Published 3rd April 

Local authorities in England now have funds available to issue the Small Business Grant Fund and Retail Grant Fund and are expected to contact eligible retailers shortly. The Small Business Grant Fund will provide one-off cash grants of £10,000 for stores eligible for either Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief. The Retail Grant Fund will supply one-off cash grants of £10,000 for stores up to £15,000 rateable value, excluding stores eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund. The Retail Grant Fund will also provide grants of £25,000 for stores with a rateable value between £15,000 - £51,000. Separate schemes are available in Scotland and Wales, detailed on the ACS website here.  

Government pressures banks to support small independent businesses 

Published 3rd April 

The Business Secretary Alok Sharma has called on high street lenders to ease access to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Scheme (CBILS) for small independent retailers during the crisis.

His intervention comes following reports from businesses that their banks were making it increasingly difficult to access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Read the full story here.

Daily Press Conference

Published 3rd April 

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock MP gave yesterday's press conference. Here are the highlights:

• The Government is taking unprecedented action to increase NHS capacity. In the past week, the Government has completed the construction of the NHS Nightingale hospital, with more hospitals being constructed in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
  
• Mr Hancock reported that as of yesterday, 163,194 people have now been tested, with 33,718 testing positive. 12,949 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus, and of those who have contracted the virus, 2,921 have died. The Health Secretary has noted that the rate of infection has been doubling every three to four days.
• Mr Hancock commended the new Public Health England guidance on PPE for people working on the front line.
  
• In addition to the £300m that has been made available for community pharmacies, the Health Secretary announced that the Government is writing off £13.4bn of historic NHS debt to help them cope with increased demand as a result of the virus.
  
• Mr Hancock detailed the Government's approach to testing, announcing that testing for the virus will expand first to NHS staff, then to key workers, and then to the wider community in due course. The Government remains committed to carrying out 25,000 tests per day by the end of April at the latest.
  

Prime Minister' Press Conference

Published 2nd April 

The Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, led the press conference yesterday evening.

• 152,979 people have now been tested, with 29,474 testing positive. 10,767 people have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. To date, 2,352 people have died, an increase of 563 - the highest daily rise in deaths so far.
• The Government want to thank the thousands of businesses, large and small, which have worked with staff to ensure they are supported in the days and weeks ahead.
• Mr Sharma stated that as businesses are doing all they can to support people, Government will continue to do all it can to support businesses. From today, businesses start benefitting from the previously announced £22bn of support in the form of grants and rate relief.
• Mr Sharma said that to date, local authorities have now received more than £12bn, with the business secretary making clear that this money should get to businesses as soon as possible.
• The Business Secretary also said that would be completely unacceptable for banks to unfairly refuse funds to good businesses in financial difficulty at this time.
• In response to concerns from businesses, the Government are looking at ways to ensure that they can get the support they need. The Chancellor will be saying more on this in the coming days.

Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill

Published 1st April 

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill was formally introduced to the Scottish Parliament yesterday and will be debated by MSPs today. Most measures in the Bill will automatically expire after six months, if passed, and can be extended for a maximum of two further six month periods.

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Daily Press Conference

Published 1st April 

Cabinet Minister Michael Gove MP gave yesterday's press conference. Here are the highlights:

• Mr Gove updated on the latest figures on Covid-19. To date, 143,186 people have been tested, with 25,150 testing positive for Covid-19.
  
• Yesterday there were 381 recorded deaths, taking the total number of deaths to 1,789.
• Mr Gove also reinforced the importance of respecting social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of the virus.
  

Published 1st April

The limit on contactless payment is rising to £45 from today (April 1st) to enable more customers to use the facility. WHO and Government guidance suggests that people use contactless payment if they are able to, but stores should still accept cash and regular card payments from those who cannot use contactless payment. A poster for retailers asking customers to use contactless is available on our website here.

ActSmart supports Government's challenge to business insurers

Published 31st March

Government and business may have misjudged the potential access to cash support via business interruption insurance. It is a retrospective cover that may provide some interim payment towards costs, but only once there is clarity over the degree of the loss, but surety of its support would be enough to see many businesses through the crisis. 

Members of the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), initiated by ActSmart, are calling upon Government and insurance brokers to challenge policies where there is ambiguity. 

Let us know your experiences with BII by completing the online survey at indieretail.uk/business-interruption-insurance. 

For more information click here.

Supporting employees if your business is affected by COVID-19

Published 31st March

The Government has provided a YouTube video about the support available to help you and your staff during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Register for the next live webinar to get help with how you can support employees. 

This webinar provides an overview about the support available, including:

• the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
• refunding eligible Statutory Sick Pay costs
• furloughed employees and more

Press Conference

Published 30th March

Yesterday evening's daily press conference was led by the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Robert Jenrick, key highlights included:

• Deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, said that the effectiveness of the current restrictions would be reviewed at the end of the original three-week period
• Harries also stated that the lockdown in the UK to try to slow the spread of coronavirus could go on for six months and the country may not return to its normal way of life until the autumn
• Boris Johnson is still in isolation in No 11 Downing Street after testing positive for coronavirus

Deferral of VAT payments as a result of COVID-19

Published 27th March

UK VAT registered business with VAT payments due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020 have the option to defer the payment until a later date or pay the VAT due as normal.

For more information click here. 

Job Retention Scheme guidance published

Published 27th March

The new guidance for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was published yesterday evening.

The temporary scheme is open to all UK employers for at least three months starting from 1 March 2020. It is designed to support employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Published 27th March

This scheme will allow self-employed individuals or a member of a partnership to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended if needed.

The support will be limited up to £50k of trading profits and people who make the majority of their income from self-employment. Eligibility also depends on years traded and whether the business has been affected by COVID-19 among other things.

The grant will be calculated using average monthly profits over last three financial years. Self Employed people will be able to access the support by the beginning of June.