COVID-19 Update 10th May 2021
Confirmation of Move to Step 3
The Prime Minister has confirmed that England will move to Step 3 on 17th May as planned. As detailed previously in the roadmap this means:
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- Indoor hospitality can reopen
- Indoor attractions can reopen
- Indoor entertainment can resume, including cinemas, museums, and children’s play areas.
- Up to 6 people or 2 households will be able to meet indoors and up to 30 people outdoors.
- All remaining outdoor entertainment can reopen, such as outdoor cinemas and performances
- Some larger events will be able to take place, including conferences, theatre and concert performances, and sports events. (although restrictions on the number of attendees will remain)
- Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions, and commemorative events
There will be a significant amount of business guidance that will be updated in the next few days to reflect the move to Step 3. One of the core guidance documents is the primary Working Safely During Coronavirus guidance for Hotels and other accommodation. Speaking to DCMS this morning, they are hoping that this guidance will be published tomorrow or Wednesday.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-easing-of-covid-restrictions-confirmed-for-17-may
Coronavirus Restrictions: What You Can And Cannot Do
One of the main Guidance documents for the public has been updated in line with the Prime Minister’s Announcement. The main changes are:
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- Gathering limits will be eased. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to 30 people and indoor gatherings will be limited to 6 people or 2 households (each household can include a support bubble, if eligible).
- New guidance on meeting friends and family will emphasise personal responsibility rather than government rules. Instead of instructing you to stay 2m apart from anyone you don’t live with, you will be encouraged to exercise caution and consider the guidance on risks associated with COVID-19 and actions you can take to help keep you and your loved ones safe. Remember that the risks of close contact may be greater for some people than others and in some settings and circumstances, there will be specific guidance that you will need to follow even when you are with friends and family.
- Indoor entertainment and attractions such as cinemas, theatres, concert halls, bowling alleys, casinos, amusement arcades, museums and children’s indoor play areas will be permitted to open with COVID-secure measures in place.
- People will be able to attend indoor and outdoor events, including live performances, sporting events and business events. Attendance at these events will be capped according to venue type, and attendees should follow the COVID-secure measures set out by those venues.
- Indoor hospitality venues such as restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes can reopen.
- Organised indoor sport will be able to take place for all (this includes gym classes). This must be organised by a business, charity or public body and the organiser must take reasonable measures to reduce the risk of transmission.
- All holiday accommodation will be open (including hotels and B&Bs). This can be used by groups of up to 6 or 2 households (each household can include a support bubble, if eligible).
- Limits at weddings, wakes and other commemorative events will be increased to 30 people. Other significant life events, such as bar/bat mitzvahs and christenings, will also be able to take place with 30 people.
- There will no longer be a legal restriction or permitted reason required to travel internationally. There will be a traffic light system for international travel, and you must follow the rules when returning to England depending on whether you return from a red, amber or green list country.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
Move to Level 3
To facilitate the move to Step 3 on 17th May, the UK Chief Medical Officers and NHS England National Medical Director agree that the UK alert level should move from level 4 to level 3.
Let’s Do London Launched
The London Mayor has launched a new £6m Let’s Do London campaign. This is a year-long campaign bringing together London’s leading hospitality, culture and retail organisations to attract Londoners and visitors from across the UK back to the capital and support jobs. The campaign will include a major advertising push supported by TfL, alongside new content on the Visit London website outlining all the campaign has to offer to Londoners and visitors to the capital. The campaign has been developed through a recovery committee co-chaired by Kate Nicholls and Bernard Donoghue and aims to address the significant issues faced by the London tourism industry through very low inbound tourism, domestic tourists favouring rural and seaside destinations and many businesses not planning to have workers return to the office for some considerable time.
I’ve attached a release on the campaign that has lot more detail: https://agto.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Lets_Do_London_FINAL.pdf
Transport Secretary’s Statement to Parliament
The Transport Secretary has published a statement to parliament on the re-opening of international travel on 17th May which restates the traffic light system, but he says that with the roll-out of vaccine programmes increasing overseas, he is hopeful of adding more countries to the green list as the summer progresses. However, he cautions that this will be done slowly, and green list countries will be placed on a “watchlist” if we start to have concerns.
HMRC Webinar on the SEISS
HMRC have updated their guidance on support for businesses by adding a catch-up webinar on the fourth grant of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The webinar discusses the aim of the scheme, who can apply, how much you may be entitled to, how to claim the fourth grant, and what happens after you have claimed.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-if-your-business-is-affected-by-coronavirus-covid-19
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