On Friday 17 July the government announced a plan for further easing to the lockdown restrictions. From 1 August, if prevalence remains around or below current levels, government will take the following steps:
- Give employers more discretion on how they ensure employees can work safely. Working from home is one way to do this, but workplaces can also be made safe by following COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
- Reopen most remaining leisure settings, namely bowling, skating rinks and casinos, accompanied by COVID-19 Secure guidelines. This will not include particularly high-risk activities and settings such as nightclubs, which will be kept under review.
- Enable the restart of indoor performances to a live audience, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidelines, subject to the success of pilots that are taking place as soon as possible.
- Enable all close contact services to resume, including any treatments on the face such as eyebrow threading or make-up application, working closely with the sector and public health experts to ensure this can be done as safely as possible and in line with COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
- Carry out pilots in venues with a range of sizes of crowds, particularly where congregating from different places, including sports stadia and business events. The pilots, some of which will begin in late July, will be carefully monitored and evaluated to inform future decisions on any further relaxation of the rules. If plans progress in line with expectations, pilots will expand to build up to and prepare for a full, socially distanced return in the autumn.
- Enable wedding receptions; sit-down meals for no more than 30 people, subject to COVID-19 Secure guidelines. Over time, we will assess whether gatherings of this type for other purposes can be made possible and when larger wedding receptions can take place.
In September, schools, nurseries and colleges will open for all children and young people on a full-time basis. Schools, nurseries and colleges will put in place protective measures to minimise the risks to children and teachers and reduce the risk of transmission. This includes keeping children and young people in consistent class or year groups and encouraging older children to keep their distance from each other and staff where possible. This is alongside protective measures such as regular cleaning and handwashing. We will also provide schools and colleges with home testing kits for children and staff who would otherwise be unable to get a test. While our plan is for all pupils to be back at school in September, local outbreaks may require classes, year groups or even whole schools to isolate or be sent home temporarily, so every school will also need to plan for how they will ensure continuity of education in those circumstances. Universities are also working to reopen as fully as possible.
If prevalence remains around or below current levels into the autumn, government will bring back audiences in stadia, and allow conferences and other business events to recommence in a COVID-19 Secure way, from 1 October. This step will only take place once we have a reliable scientific understanding of the impact of reopening schools on the epidemic.
If prevalence falls very significantly, government will review the necessity for the outstanding measures and allow a more significant return to normality. This would start with removing the need to distance people, while retaining limited mitigations like face coverings and plastic screens in shops. Our ambition is that this may be possible by November at the earliest, however this would be contingent on a number of factors, including consideration of the specific challenges as we move into winter, as described above.
To read the full document, click here to view ‘The next chapter in our plan to rebuild: The UK government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy’.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s speech, BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:
On new guidance for returning to the workplace:
“Companies, in discussion with their employees, will decide how and when to return to offices safely. To take those decisions, businesses need crystal-clear official guidance. Firms will be weighing up how they want to work in future. Many have seen benefits to productivity and work-life balance over recent months, and will want to keep elements of their new normal. For many employees, returning to the workplace is contingent on schools reopening, the availability of wraparound care and the capacity of public transport. Businesses should be able to offset the investments they make to ensure their premises are Covid-secure against their tax bill, which would help many to return to workplaces over the coming months.”
On the conditional timetable for reopening the economy:
“Businesses that have so far been unable to open will be pleased to finally have a timetable for reopening so they can plan ahead. Government must consider what further support they can offer to firms that will need to remain closed into the autumn, beyond the end-date for government support schemes and many businesses’ cash reserves.”
On regional powers for local lockdowns:
“While tackling the public health emergency must be the priority, further local lockdowns will be a hammer blow to business communities trying to get back on their feet. Local lockdowns must be made more targeted, with clear statistical triggers and an exit strategy to help businesses plan ahead. More financial support must be available to the hardest hit firms forced to close for an additional period.”
On a new testing target of 500,000 per day:
“Business will welcome an increased target for testing as we move into a new phase of managing the pandemic. Only a truly comprehensive test and trace system that works across the UK will boost business, staff and consumer confidence, which is the key to securing our economic recovery.”