COVID-19 Update 20th October 2020

• Manchester Lockdown

The Prime Minister has announced that Greater Manchester will enter Very High Alert status just after midnight on Friday with the legislation for this being tabled before parliament on Thursday . This means that in addition to the baseline restrictions,

• • Pubs and bars must close, unless they are serving substantial meals.
  • Households can’t mix indoors or in most outdoor settings.
  • People are advised against travel into and out of the area.

the following premises will also be required to close:

• • betting shops
  • casinos
  • bingo halls
  • adult gaming centres
  • soft play areas

While the Prime Minister announced the allocation of £22m for local contact tracing and enforcement costs,  there has been no mention of additional support for impacted businesses in the area. However, he has suggested that discussions on further will continue.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-statement-on-coronavirus-covid-19-20-october-2020

• DCMS Clarifications

At the VEWG meeting this morning DCMS clarified a couple of issues.

• • Visitors to accommodation businesses need scan the QR code every day that they are there because the system resets at midnight each night removing customers details
  • While Businesses should take reasonable steps to ensure that customers are complying with the law on things like the Rule of Six and going on holiday with other households, the  legal responsibility for compliance is with the customer and not the business
  • Buying food or drink to take-away also includes situations where there is a stall or café in an attraction where no seating is provided and the customer walks around the attraction with the food/drink

DCMS are also still checking to see whether business meetings can be held outside of meeting rooms – for example, in other areas of a hotel or in a café or restaurant. I’ll come back to you when we get the answer to this.

•  Information for Individuals and Businesses in Wales

The Government has updated it’s homepage for guidance and support for people and businesses in Wales to take into account the announcement of the lockdown beginning on Friday.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-individuals-and-businesses-in-wales

• Check the Status of Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Payments

The government has launched a new online system whereby someone who has applied for SEISS can check the processing of the application online and change bank details for the payment.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/return-to-your-claim-for-the-self-employment-income-support-scheme