COVID-19 Update 14th August 2020

Some additional updates following the changes at the end of the week.

DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey – Wave 2

DCMS is inviting businesses to take part in a second round of a survey to understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on organisations in the digital, culture, media, sport, gambling, telecoms and tourism sectors. Answers will remain anonymous and will be used to inform DCMS’ preparedness efforts. The survey should take around 10-20 minutes and can be completed here. The deadline for responses is 23:59 on 8 September 2020.

Changes to restrictions in Wales

First Minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced that from Saturday 22 August:

• Up to four households will be able to join together to form a single extended household
• A meal following  a wedding, civil partnership or funeral will be allowed for up to 30 people indoors if social distancing can be maintained

However, no changes will be made to the rules on people meeting indoors with people who are not part of their household or extended household. This means that people should only visit pubs, restaurants or other places indoors with people from their household or extended household.

The Welsh Government has also introduced new enforcement powers to make sure all premises follow COVID-19 rules. Amendments to the regulations will come into force next week to make it obligatory for hospitality business and other high-risk settings to collect contact details of customers. The Welsh Government recently strengthened the powers local authorities have to enforce these regulations.

New regulations for collecting customer contact details in Scotland

Regulations have been introduced to make it mandatory for hospitality settings to collect the contact details of visitors to their premises in support of Test and Protect. The new regulations apply to restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels in which food or drink are sold for consumption on the premises.

These businesses must now record:

• Name and contact number of an individual – or lead member of each household in a group – that visits the premises
• Record the date of the visit, the time of arrival, and where possible the departure time

The new regulations include customers, staff working on a particular day and visitors such as delivery drivers or cleaners. Premises must store the information for 21 days and share it when requested to do so by public health officers within 24 hours.

New statutory guidance for the hospitality sector has also been published which explains how to keep a record of customer and visitor contact details securely ensuring data protection principles are upheld. The Scottish Government has also published updated guidance for hospitality customers to reinforce key safety measures, including physical distancing and the strict limits on the number of households that can meet at a time – 8 people from up to 3 households indoors and 15 people from up to 5 households outdoors.

DfT advice on transit stops

The Department for Transport has clarified what constitutes transit for people travelling from a country covered by the travel corridor exemption, through a non-exempt country to England, e.g. via a ferry:

• A transit stop is a stop where passengers can get on or off. It can apply to coaches, ferries, trains or flights. Your ticket should show if a stop is a transit stop.
• If your journey involves a transit stop in a country not on the exemption list, you will need to self-isolate when you arrive in England if:
  • New passengers get on
  • You or other passengers get off the transport you are on and mix with other people, then get on again
• You don’t need to self-isolate beyond normal timescales if, during your transit stop in a non-exempt country:
  • No new passengers get on
  • No-one on-board gets off and mixes with other people outside
  • Passengers get off but do not get back on

Ferries should have safety measures in place on board (social distancing, face coverings etc) so passengers should not need to self-isolate unless they have made a transit stop en-route to the ferry.

ONS COVID-19 round-up

The latest data and analysis from ONS related to the pandemic and its economic and societal impact has been published, covering the period 5 – 9 August. Some key findings around going on holiday include:

• 33% of adults in the UK said their household would not be able to afford a week’s holiday this year.
• Just 10% of adults said they were likely or very likely to travel abroad with the knowledge that they would have to self-isolate for 14 days on their return to the UK. 62% said they were very unlikely to travel if this was the case.
• 20% reported that they had cancelled their travel plans due to the requirement for self-isolation upon returning to the UK, and 14% said they’d decided to holiday in the UK instead of travelling abroad this year.
• 40% said they feel comfortable or very comfortable eating indoors at a restaurant, an increase from 37% last week and 34% the week before.
• Of the adults who left their homes this week, 28% said they had visited a café, pub or restaurants – an increase from 10% four weeks ago.

Other Government updates

• The Department for Health and Social Care has created a new email address for any queries that businesses and representative bodies may have on local lockdown in there area: TTDHSCexternalaffairs@dhsc.gov.uk
• The guidance on face coverings has been updated to state that they are required in casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, indoor play areas, exhibition halls and conference centres.
• The Working Safely guidance has been updated for the Performing Arts and Close Contact Centres. These will also apply to businesses such as holiday parks, attractions and hotels that provide these types of activities and services.
• Guidance on meeting people from outside your household has been updated to include new information that the government will be introducing fines for those who facilitate or organise illegal gatherings of over 30 people, and updated guidance on shielding.
• Current rules on gatherings in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester will remain in place.
• A new transport demand management toolkit for local authorities in England has been published to provide help for local authorities in England outside London in managing increased demand on the public transport network.
• The Home Office has updated guidance for people applying to enter the UK or remain on the basis of family or private life and how to apply for a visa to enter the UK if the VAC is closed.
• Updated data has been published on how local authorities have received and distributed funding to support small and medium businesses in England during coronavirus.
• The daily visitors data to DCMS Sponsored Museums and Galleries has been updated with museum visitor figures for w/c 3rd August. Footfall remains depressed at an average of 10%, but is up from the previous 8.8%.

Situation update 14 August 2020

• To see the number of cases of COVID-19 in England and the UK visit the UK COVID-19 dashboard.

To see the number of cases globally see the World Health Organisation dashboard