Recently the Prime Minister has made a statement announcing new Covid19 restrictions in England. The main advice is for those who can, to work at home for the foreseeable future. There are other measures that apply in England beginning Thursday 24th September. 

As always do three simple actions

1. Wash hands- wash your hand regularly with soap and water.
2. Cover face- wear a face covering in enclosed spaces.
3. Make space- Keep at least 2 meters apart.

Besides the basic actions there have been other guidance added recently. Please ensure that you and your small business follow the latest government guidance on Covid-19:

Pubs, bars and restaurants- businesses must operate table-service only, except for take-aways.

All hospitality (including pubs, bars and restaurants)- they must close at 10pm. The same will apply to takeaways although deliveries can continue thereafter.

The requirement to wear face coverings will be extended to include:

Staff in retail (in addition to the existing requirement on customers)

All users of taxis and private hire vehicles

All staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink

If any of the six rules are broken or you do not wear a mask the penalty will now double to £200 for a first time offence.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) support is available to businesses

• Loans, tax relief and cash grants are available
• Employers can apply for staff to get up to 80% pay if they can’t work
• Self-employed people can receive up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least 3 months

Job Retention Scheme

The job retention scheme will start November 1st and will run for six months. Job retention scheme aims to top-up salaries in firms which are unable to take employees back full-time. To be eligible for this help you need to at least work one third of your normal hours. For the hours not worked, the government and employer will each pay one-third of the remaining wages that way employees will get at least 77% of their pay.

This will be available for SMEs as long as it is a viable job. Self-employed workers will  be given more time to pay their tax bill and more grant help. Businesses have also been given extra time to pay loans for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme for up to ten years and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme which will be extended until the end of 2020.  

For further advice

For more information, we urge you to visit the verified government website to find out more about these schemes, how to apply and eligibility requirements.

We advise all our small business customers to tune into the Prime Minister's briefings. The BBC news site provides a live feed of all points raised.