COVID-19 Update 8th October 2020

The Air Corridors list has been updated to addthe following Greek Islands to the list of destinations exempt from quarantining:

Lesvos

Santorini

Serifos

Tinos

Zakynthos

So, from 4am on Saturday 10th October, passengers arriving to England from these destinations will no longer need to self-isolate so long as they haven’t been in or transited through any other non-exempt countries in the 14 days preceding their arrival.

Also of note is that no countries are to be removed from the Travel Corridor list this week.

Debate on DCMS Support

Here’s a link to day’s debate on DCMS support for areas under it’s responsibility which has a large tourism and hospitality component.

The debate started at 14:36:54 – so click on that time on the scroll-down column to the left of the screen

https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/0d08c5bb-04d0-4a34-b1d1-8efba0179f9c

Protecting Staff From Coronavirus

The guidance for businesses on testing staff for Coronavirus has been updated with a separate annex on the legal responsibilities on employers to protect the health of their staff.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-guidance-for-employers/annex-a-employers-legal-obligations

Companies House Online Filings

Companies house has issued new guidance on how businesses can undertake the following filings online:

Insolvency
share capital
registrar’s powers
change of constitution
Scottish limited partnerships
Scottish qualifying partnerships

You must also use their existing online services to:

file your accounts
file your confirmation statement
make changes to your company
close your company

It is important to note that companies that are dormant as a result of Coronavirus are still required to file their returns

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/efs-submission/start

Coronavirus and the Latest Indicators for the UK Economy

The results of the latest results of the ONS’s ongoing series on the impact of Coronavirus on the UK economy. The key tourism-related findings in this publication is that:

61% of accommodation and food businesses say that profits have decreased while just 7% report that it has increased. This compares with the average of 43% of all businesses recording a decrease and is the highest of any sector surveyed.
34% of accommodation and food businesses say they have less than 3 months reserves, and a further 6% state that they have no reserves at all compared to 24% and 4% for UK businesses as a whole.
25% of accommodation and food businesses are not confident that they will survive the next three months

https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/businessservices/bulletins/coronavirusandtheeconomicimpactsontheuk/8october2020

DfT Travel Attitudes Survey

DfT have undertaken a survey of travel attitudes which includes a section on Leisure and Holidays which looks at public attitudes towards leisure time in the light of the coronavirus and how the pandemic has changed the anticipated holiday-making of respondents.

Among the findings are that, while 7% reported to plan more holidays overseas after travel restrictions and social distancing have been removed, 29% said they would plan fewer holidays and 35% about the same. 11% indicated that they never plan holidays overseas and 18% said that they do not tend to go on holidays in general.

With regard to domestic holidays, 20% of respondents said they would plan more holidays in the UK, 15% said fewer holidays and 46% said about the same. However, of those that would go on holiday in the UK, more than two-thirds said that it is not very likely (35%) or not at all likely (35%) that they would consider using public transport to go on holiday in the UK in the future.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/924959/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-4-provisional.pdf

Updated Guidance for Places of Worship

The Government has again updated the guidance for places of worship to incorporate changes in regulation that affect places of worship, announced on 22 September and to highlight that different guidance and legislation will apply in local lockdown areas and that you need to consult the local restrictions guidance to see if there are any restrictions are in place in your area.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july