Here are the latest guidelines from the Cabinet office. Please be vigilant to where you access your advice and guidelines from. We have been made aware that on social media inaccurate advice and guidelines have been shared. If in doubt please feel free to discuss this on the Insiders (our confidential mastermind group) or email us so that we may reply to the Cabinet office. We only share the advice sent to us for businesses from the Cabinet office or trusted businesses that we have worked with.
New National Restrictions, Keeping your customers, visitors and workers safe, Remembrance Day, supporting the extremely vulnerable, and Business Support.
New restrictions 5th November
New national restrictions will come into place in England on Thursday 5th November. For more details see Number 10 twitter and national assets on restrictions.
Everyone must stay at home, and may leave only for a limited set of reasons, which include:
To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close or restrict how they provide goods and services. These include:
Other businesses are permitted to stay open – this includes those providing essential goods or services, including: food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services. Essential retail should follow COVID-secure guidelines to protect customers, visitors and workers.
Full details of the guidance can be found here.
Keeping your customers, visitors and workers safe
Businesses have been working hard to put in place measures to minimise the transmission of the virus in the workplace and HSE have been checking, visiting and inspecting businesses to ensure they are COVID-secure.
From mid-June to 3rd November, HSE conducted over 44,000 spot checks to businesses and organisations. Most businesses checked are following the COVID-secure workplace guidance and action has been taken where businesses have fallen short.
HSE’s programme of activity has shown that social distancing is the biggest issue facing businesses, followed by cleaning regimes and management arrangements. As we move into national restrictions, if your business is permitted to stay open then please ensure you follow COVID-secure guidelines.
Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day 2020
This year, national and local remembrance ceremonies will be closed to the public. However, there are many ways you can mark the occasion safely, either outdoors, while following social distancing guidance, online or at home. The Department for Digital, Culture. Media and Sport has a page with lots of ideas on how to mark the occasion, including printable images for colouring in and displaying in windows.
The public may wish to remember those lost through conflict by marking the national two-minute silence at 11am on Sunday November 8th. The service is broadcast nationwide on BBC One, Sky and ITV.
Clinically Extremely Vulnerable
New guidance was published today for the clinically extremely vulnerable on keeping safe under new national restrictions which come into force this Thursday. The group is strongly advised to stay at home at all times, unless for exercise or doctors’ appointments.
A range of support is available, backed by over £32 million government funding for local councils. More information here.
Business support
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, known as the furlough scheme
This scheme will remain open until December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500. The Job Support Schemewill not be introduced until after the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant Extension
The grant is being extended from 1 November 2020. The grant will be increased from the previously announced level of 40% of trading profits to 80% for November 2020.
Business Grants
Business premises forced to close in England due to local or national restrictions will be eligible for the following:
Business Loan Schemes
The application deadlines for the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Future Fund have been extended until 31 January 2021.