On the 19th of July, all restrictions on social contact were lifted in England. That means social distancing, limiting numbers in confined spaces, the rule of 6 indoors and wearing face coverings – all the safety measures we’ve gotten used to throughout the Coronavirus pandemic – were set to, legally, become a thing of the past.

However, in his announcement, Boris was quick to advise proceeding with caution as we reach the final stage of the lockdown lifting roadmap, stating that “this pandemic is not over.”

To help make sure your business is set up to operate safely and to ensure you’re aware of all the rule changes that will affect your business operations, we’ll be helping you along the way.

 

 

19th July re-opening signs recommending wearing face masks in busy areas

 

 

What Safety Measures Should You Keep in Place in Your Business?

Using the data presented in government studies and your own judgement, you will need to set your own sensible guidelines for running your business safely. Whether you decide to ease up on safety restrictions or abolish them completely. 

To help make your customers and staff feel comfortable on your premises, we recommend using signage to encourage the use of face masks during busy times, set customer-facing roles up with countertop sneeze guards, apply antibacterial lamination to menus and flyers, and use floor stickers to keep customers spaced out in a queue.

Although lockdown has officially lifted, the majority of government advice is still focused on encouraging the restrictions rather than directly enforcing them. It may take a while for us to feel fully confident to ditch social distancing measures completely until COVID-19 is no longer considered a significant threat, and supporting staff and customers to feel comfortable using your business will be the number one priority as we exit lockdown.