COVID-19 Update 12th August 2020

Updated guidance for businesses – working safely during COVID-19

Multiple households. Businesses that are found to operate in a way that increases the risk of transmission, for example by facilitating indoor gatherings between multiple households, can be closed by Local Authorities
Consulting with employees. The decision to return to the workplace should be made in meaningful consultation with workers (including through trade unions or employee representative groups where they exist). This should include a discussion of the timing and phasing of any return and any risk mitigations that have been implemented.
Protecting vulnerable staff. Whilst clinically vulnerable people can now return to work if they cannot work from home, they should be offered the option of the safest available on-site roles, enabling them to maintain social distancing guidelines.

VisitBritain report: consumer sentiment in France and Germany

A new report on consumer sentiment testing in France and Germany has revealed that 12% of those in France and 11% of those in Germany who plan to go on a holiday abroad in the next 6 months consider travelling to the UK.

Other Government Updates

Updated data is available for the use of transport during the pandemic. Whilst private vehicle, commercial vehicle and truck use have returned to normal levels, there are still considerable concerns regarding the use of public transport. National Rail usage is still down 75%, while bus use is down 47% in London and 61% outside London.
The Government has published guidance on school transport and managing demand, which may be of interest to coach operators.
An analysis of monthly growth for the production and services industries between May & June 2020 is available, highlighting the impact of COVID-19

Industry Updates

ABTA’s board has confirmed that customers should be offered a full refund by their members when the FCO advice is against all but essential travel to a destination.
Holland America Airline is extending its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through to 15 December 2020

Situation update 12 August 2020

To see the number of cases of COVID-19 in England and the UK visit the UK COVID-19 dashboard – https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
To see the number of cases globally see the World Health Organisation dashboard – https://covid19.who.int/