COVID-19 Update 6th January 2021

• Travel Agents Join Closed Business List

One of the points in the new Lockdown legislation is that Travel Agents have joined the list of businesses legally required to close. This means that they should now be eligible for the LRSG (Closed) ABTA is currently seeking confirmation on this.

If you want to look through the lockdown legislation in a more useful form than the amendments  sent through yesterday, the amendments have now been incorporated into the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020 which you can view on the following link.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374

• Heritage and Grassroot Sport Guidance Updated

The primary guidance for heritage businesses and those organising sports events has been updated in light of the national lockdown – although having a quick look through it there doesn’t seem to be any real change except to link it to the guidance for the national lockdown guidance.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/heritage-locations

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-grassroots-sports-guidance-for-safe-provision-including-team-sport-contact-combat-sport-and-organised-sport-events

• Student Visitor Guidance

The Home Office has tweaked the guidance for organisations sponsoring students who are distance learning because of coronavirus that was issued yesterday to say that If a student has permanently withdrawn from their studies or deferred their studies for a period exceeding 60 days, the sponsor must report this as usual.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-tier-2-4-and-5-sponsors#if-youre-sponsoring-a-student-who-is-distance-learning

• Transport Usage

The DfT has released their weekly figures on transport usage and, unsurprisingly, the use of public transport has collapsed with the introduction of the lockdown with national rail operating and the London tube operating at under 20% of their normal level and bus services outside London are operating at under 30% of normal. Somewhat surprisingly car use is still at 60% (which is twice the level of the first national lockdown) but this could change over the next few days.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic