Main points from today
- The PM addressed the House of Commons at lunchtime and announced the following additional measures to ease lockdown in England from 4th July 2020:-
- Reducing 2 metre social distancing to ‘1 metre plus’.
- ‘1 metre plus’ means remaining one metre apart, while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission such as:-
- avoiding face-to-face seating by changing office layouts,
- reducing the number of people in enclosed spaces,
- improving ventilation,
- using protective screens and face coverings,
- closing non-essential social spaces,
- providing hand sanitiser
- and changing shift patterns so that staff work in set teams.
- Two households of any size (not always the same two households) can meet in any setting inside or out.
- Provided that no more than two households stay together, people will be free to stay overnight in self-contained accommodation, including hotels and bed & breakfasts, as well as campsites as long as shared facilities are kept clean.
- Restaurants and pubs can re-open.
- All hospitality indoors will be limited to table-service, and guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact.
- Most leisure facilities and tourist attractions will reopen if they can do so safely, including outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades as well as libraries, social clubs and community centres.
- “Close proximity” venues such as nightclubs, soft-play areas, indoor gyms, nail bars, swimming pools and spas will need to remain closed for now, as will bowling alleys and water parks.
- Hairdressers can re-open, with appropriate precautions, including the use of visors.
- Places of worship will be able to reopen for prayer and services, including weddings with a maximum of 30 people, all subject to social distancing.
- Courts, probation services, police stations and other public services will increasingly resume face-to-face proceedings.
- Wrap-around care for school age children and formal childcare will restart over the summer.
- Primary and secondary education will recommence in September with full attendance and those children who can already go to school should do so.
Latest Guidance (employment and business)
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers
Updated with more information about flexible furlough and overpayments. 4:27pm, 22 June 2020
CJRS guidance can now be found here:-
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme guidance is here:-
Check if you can claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
Latest Guidance (health)
COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable
Updated guidance regarding changes announced on 22nd June to take effect from 6th July.
11:48am, 23 June 2020
Schools
No new guidance today.
The new collections are:-
Guidance for schools: coronavirus (COVID-19) – What school leaders, teachers and school staff need to do during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Early years and childcare: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Further and higher education: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Early years and childcare: coronavirus (COVID-19)
General Guidance
The general coronavirus guidance starts here:-
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus