Covid-19 – Latest Guidance from the Government – 6.00pm 11th May 2020

The full speech is here – PM address to the nation on coronavirus: 10 May 2020

Today the Government published a 60 page recovery strategy.
Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy – The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy.  First published.  2:02pm, 11 May 2020.  Provisions relating to work are on page 26:-

Step One
The changes to policy in this step will apply from Wednesday 13 May in England.

Work
For the foreseeable future, workers should continue to work from home rather than their normal physical workplace, wherever possible. This will help minimise the number of social contacts across the country and therefore keep transmissions as low as possible. All those who work are contributing taxes that help pay for the healthcare provision on which the UK relies. People who are able to work at home make it possible for people who have to attend workplaces in person to do so while minimising the risk of overcrowding on transport and in public places.

All workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open. Sectors of the economy that are allowed to be open should be open, for example this includes food production, construction, manufacturing, logistics, distribution and scientific research in laboratories. The only exceptions to this are those workplaces such as hospitality and nonessential retail which during this first step the Government is requiring to remain closed.

As soon as practicable, workplaces should follow the new “COVID-19 Secure” guidelines, as set out in the previous chapter, which will be published this week. These will ensure the risk of infection is as low as possible, while allowing as many people as possible to resume their livelihoods.

It remains the case that anyone who has symptoms, however mild, or is in a household where someone has symptoms, should not leave their house to go to work. Those people should self-isolate, as should those in their households.

General guidance on the CJRS is here:-
www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Work out 80% of your employees’ wages to claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Check if you can claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Check if you can claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

Latest Guidance (health)
Following the PM’s announcement yesterday the latest health guidance is as follows:-

Stay alert
We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:

Today the Government published a 60 page recovery strategy.
Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy – The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy.  First published.  2:02pm, 11 May 2020

Public advised to cover faces in enclosed spaces – The public is advised to consider wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces such as shops, trains and buses to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. First published. 3:54pm, 11 May 2020.

Staying safe outside your home – The principles you should follow to ensure that time spent outside your home is as safe as possible. First published. 2:02pm, 11 May 2020

Staying alert and safe (social distancing) – The most important thing we can do is to stay alert, control the virus, and in doing so, save lives. First published.  2:00pm, 11 May 2020

Schools
In PM address to the nation on coronavirus: 10 May 2020 he stated:-
In step two – at the earliest by June 1 – after half term – we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

Our ambition is that secondary pupils facing exams next year will get at least some time with their teachers before the holidays. And we will shortly be setting out detailed guidance on how to make it work in schools and shops and on transport.

Today the Government published a 60 page recovery strategy.
Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy – The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy.  First published.  2:02pm, 11 May 2020.  Provisions relating to schools are on pages 27 and 30:-
Step One (page 27 – from Thursday 13 May 2020)
The changes to policy in this step will apply from Wednesday 13 May in England.

Schools
The rate of infection remains too high to allow the reopening of schools for all pupils yet. However, it is important that vulnerable children (including children in need, those with an Education, Health and Care plan and those assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities)23 and the children of critical workers are able to attend school, as is currently permitted. Approximately 2% of children are attending school in person24, although all schools are working hard to deliver lessons remotely.

But there is a large societal benefit from vulnerable children, or the children of critical workers, attending school: local authorities and schools should therefore urge more children who would benefit from attending in person to do so.

The Government is also amending its guidance to clarify that paid childcare, for example nannies and childminders, can take place subject to being able to meet the public health principles at Annex A, because these are roles where working from home is not possible. This should enable more working parents to return to work.

Step Two (page 30 from no earlier than Monday 1 June 2020)
The content and timing of the second stage of adjustments will depend on the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus. The five tests set out in the first chapter must justify changes, and they must be warranted by the current alert level.

They will be enabled by the programmes set out in the next chapter and, in particular, by continuing to bolster test and trace capabilities, protect care homes and support the clinically extremely vulnerable. It is possible that the dates set out below will be delayed if these conditions are not met. Changes will be announced at least 48 hours before coming into effect.

To aid planning, the Government’s current aim is that the second step will be made no earlier than Monday 1 June, subject to these conditions being satisfied. Until that time the restrictions currently in place around the activities below will continue.

The Government will work with the devolved administrations to ensure that the changes for step two and beyond are coordinated across the UK. However, there may be circumstances where different measures will be lifted at different times depending on the variance in rate of transmission across the UK.

The current planning assumption for England is that the second step may include as many of the following measures as possible, consistent with the five tests. Organisations should prepare accordingly.