COVID-19 Updates – week commencing 08/06/20
More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance.
Go to date:
8 June 2020 …
Tourism Alliance updates:
Daily Government press briefing
Today’s briefing was led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, joined by David Pearson, Chair of National COVID-19 Social Care Support Taskforce. Hancock reviewed the latest datasets, noting that the rolling weekly infection rate is seeing a steady decline and that there were no recorded COVID-related deaths in London or Scotland yesterday (although to note that reports are often lower on a Monday due to delayed reporting over the weekend). Pearson introduced the Social Care Support Taskforce, a group that will combine the efforts of central and local government with care providers.
- The first question came from a member of the public asking whether outdoor weddings would be allowed in England, like they are in Northern Ireland. Hancock replied that they could not yet, but he hoped that one day soon.
- Andrew from Anglesey asked about regional lockdowns and how they wold be enforced. Hancock replied that the aim for the R number to be lower than 1 across the country, but if there is a localised outbreak then measures will be introduced at hospitals to help with capacity and to test local communities.
- When asked why the government is enforcing two-metre distancing while other countries, such as France, use one metre, Hancock said: “The science is clear: the closer you are the more likely you are to pass on the virus.” He added that some other countries are also insisting on two-metre distancing and that the two-metre rule was not responsible for hospitality businesses not being able to open, but the virus. The two-metre rule is under review at all times.
- Torcuil Crichton of the Daily Record asked about holidays, pointing out that Scottish school holiday dates are different from England’s. Hancock said that he hoped the Government would be able to get to a position where people were able to go on holiday this summer, including domestically.
You can watch the full briefing here.
Business Secretary launches working groups to help plan economic recovery
Business Secretary Alok Sharma is creating 5 new business-focused groups as part of the Government’s plans to help the economy bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic. Focused on 5 key themes, each group will explore how business can work with Government to deliver economic growth and jobs:
o The future of industry: How to accelerate business innovation and leverage private sector investment in research and development
o Green recovery: How to capture economic growth opportunities from the shift to net zero carbon emissions
o Backing new businesses: How to make the UK the best place in the world to start and scale a business
o Increasing opportunity: How to level up economic performance across the UK, including through skills and apprenticeships
o The UK open for business: How to win and retain more high value investment for the UK
The membership of the 5 working groups will be published in due course. There will also be an opportunity for other parties and individuals interested in this initiative to share written submissions with the Business Department. Further details will be shared in due course.
Requirement for transport operators to provide coronavirus information for travellers
From today, 8 June 2020, transport operators are required to ensure that passengers travelling to England by sea, air or rail from outside the common travel area are provided with information about coronavirus, and related duties and public health guidance, at 3 stages of the passenger journey: at the booking stage, the check-in stage and on-board the vessel, aircraft or train.
Updated border rules for international travellers, exemptions for Scotland
International travel guidance has been updated as the new rules for entering the UK (including providing contact details and self-isolating for 14 days) come into force.
Additionally, border rules that have been introduced due to coronavirus (COVID-19) have been updated to include exemptions extended to Scotland. Some rules in Scotland are different to those England and Northern Ireland.
Other Government updates
- Clarified guidance for zoos and other businesses that keep animals (not normally domesticated in England) for exhibition to the public.
- Updated guidance on the closure of certain businesses and venues as part of further social distancing measures.
- FAQ page has been added to guidance to help local authorities and partners deliver activities supported through the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund.
Industry updates
- ABTA CEO Mark Tanzer has called on the Government to outline a plan for ending the 14-day quarantine and restarting international travel.
- Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have delayed the resumption of flights and holidays to 15 July, a fortnight later than their previous target of 1 July.
- The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has started awarding its Safe Travels stamp to destinations that have adopted its safety and hygiene protocols. Destinations having received the stamp of approval so far include Turkey, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Mauritius, Ontario, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and the Mexican destinations of Baja California Sur and Yucatan.
- Sabre is planning to cut 800 jobs across 43 global offices as the company restructures following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Situation update 8 June 2020
- To see the number of cases of COVID-19 in England and the UK visit the UK COVID-19 dashboard – https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
- To see the number of cases globally see the World Health Organisation dashboard – https://covid19.who.int/
“Save Summer Six”
One of the big rumours picked up by the press over the weekend was the Government establishing a group of six cabinet ministers, dubbed the “Save Summer Six”, to look at ways of opening up the hospitality and tourism industry before the end of the month (22nd June being the rumoured date). The minister in this group include the Culture Secretary, the Transport Secretary, the Business secretary, the Communities Secretary, the Chancellor and the Cabinet Secretary. The possible measures being looked at include:
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- Opening beer Gardens in pubs
- Allowing cafes and restaurants to trade in outside areas
- Allowing outdoor weddings
- Agreeing “travel corridor” deals with popular European holiday destinations by 28 June
- Relaxing Sunday trading laws
- Reducing the social distancing rule to 1m
- Business Recovery Roundtables
The Government has formed five new ‘recovery roundtables’ comprising businesses, business representative groups and academics. Their purpose is to consider measures to support the UK’s economic recovery and ensure the workforce has the right skills and opportunities over the next 18 months.
There five roundtable groups are:
- The future of industry: How to accelerate business innovation and leverage private sector investment in research and development
- Green recovery: How to capture economic growth opportunities from the shift to net zero carbon emissions
- Backing new businesses: How to make the UK the best place in the world to start and scale a business
- Increasing opportunity: How to level up economic performance across the UK, including through skills and apprenticeships
- The UK open for business: How to win and retain more high value investment for the UK
Clarification on Zoos and Nature Reserves
The Green Spaces Guidance has been updated to clarify that Zoos must remain closed but Nature Reserves are able to open in England – although indoor areas such as visitor centres and hides must remain closed. The differentiation between the two is very odd (see below) and I’m not sure where places like Petting Zoos fit into this.
A zoo is a business whose main activity is keeping animals not normally domesticated in England for exhibition to the public. Other businesses that keep and exhibit those types of animals, for example nature reserves, may open.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-on-accessing-green-spaces-safely
Amendment to Discretionary Fund Eligibility
The Government has amended the eligibility criteria for the Discretionary Fund to include the requirement that the business:
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- occupies property (or part of a property) with a rateable value or annual mortgage/rent payments below £51,000
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-coronavirus-local-authority-discretionary-grants-fund
Updated Advice for UK Visa Applicants and Temporary UK residents
The Home office has updated it’s guidance for people outside the UK on the opening of UK Visa Application Centres, that the reopened VACs will prioritise returning customer passports and that UK nationals that need to renew their passport will have to wait until the VAC in the country they are located reopens in order to apply – although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) can be contacted to discuss options if there is an urgent situation.
ONS Survey
Lastly, a non-Coronavirus item for you. As you will be aware, ONS is undertaking a programme of improvements to the IPS figures. As part of this they have asked me to distribute a link to a survey which aims to gain a better understanding of who uses IPS travel and tourism statistics, what they use the statistics for and whether users have come across any challenges both Covid-19 related and otherwise to do with data.
The survey in on the following link and is only 11 questions so it is quick to complete. The closing date is Friday 26th June 2020
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MZFZ7GL
9 June 2020 …
Tourism Alliance updates:
Local Lockdowns
To keep on top of local outbreaks, the government is establishing the Joint Biosecurity Centre which will sit alongside SAGE and monitor the spread of coronavirus across the country. The idea is that it will operate a local alert system that warns the CMO and Government of regional spikes in infection and implements local lockdowns to bring the infection rate back under control. So with the possibility of local lockdowns occurring at some stage, it is important for businesses to consider how to handle this in their booking terms and conditions and to convey this to customers when they book so that both parties are agreed as to what happens if the customer cannot get to the business or if a lockdown occurs while the customer is staying at the destination.
CMA Action on Self-Catering Firm
The CMA has announced that, as part of an investigation into cancellations and refunds, it has received around 4,500 complaints about UK holiday rental companies, with complaints about Vacation Rentals making up a significant proportion of those reports. As a result, it has made Vacation Rentals committed to:
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- offering a full refund to customers who booked holiday homes but could not stay in them due to lockdown restrictions
- communicating its new policy clearly on its website and via social media
- providing the CMA with monthly reports on how many refund offers have been made and accepted
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-major-holiday-lets-firm-offers-refunds-after-cma-action
Temporary Concessions
The Home Office have announces a number of temporary concessions for people who are unable to meet the requirements of the Family Immigration Rules to enter or remain in the UK due to coronavirus. These concessions relate to:
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- People’s whose wedding or civil ceremony has been delayed due to coronavirus
- People who have experienced a loss of income due to coronavirus
- People who are unable to provide specified documents
- People who are unable to take a language test
New Visa Factsheets
The Home Office has also published three new factsheets (attached) to provide guidance for visa customers outside the UK, visa holders in the UK and firms sponsoring foreign nationals.
Sending Forms to Companies House
Companies House has introduced a temporary service to that allows businesses to upload documents that previously had to be sent in. This includes documents such as
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- Applying for a rectification by the registrar of companies
- Correcting a director’s date of birth which was incorrectly stated on incorporation
- Applying for rectification of a change of registered address
- Objecting to a request to rectify the register
- Applying to remove material about a director
- Applying to change a company’s disputed registered office address
CPT operational update:
RISK MANAGEMENT – UPDATE TO CPT GUIDANCE
CPT’s COVID-19 Operational Group has been actively reviewing the assessment and management of the potential risks faced by operators during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to achieve a consistent approach within the sector
We have recently updated the driver risk matrices based on further feedback we have received both from members and outside agencies. The new versions can be found below
These offer a guide to the mitigations that operators can adopt against a range of risks and operators should of course conduct risk assessments that reflect local circumstances, and implement measures that are appropriate to their businesses
Please take the time to study the documents and, as required in the guidance, implement your own risk assessments
Please note that the previous versions of these risk matrices have now been removed from the CPT website
DRIVER RISK MATRICES Version 3
INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE Version 3
RISK MANAGEMENT FOR BUS & COACH OPERATIONS Version 2
11 June 2020 …
Tourism Alliance updates
Here’s this week’s BVA-BDRC Consumer Sentiment Tracker on the Impact of COVID-19 Travel, Leisure & Hospitality. Some of the main findings are:
- Intention to take a UK holiday dips for the 2nd consecutive week
- Over 50% of residents feel uncomfortable with day-trippers or holiday makers coming to their region from other regions
- 65% of people feel uncomfortable about overseas visitors coming to their area
- Despite quarantining coming in, 10% of people intend to travel overseas in the next three months
Guidance published for aviation passengers and operators, inland and coastal boats
The Government has published new guidance for aviation passengers and operators, setting out advice for air travellers and measures that operators should implement to protect against the spread of coronavirus.
The guidance for passengers covers the travel experience step by step, including advice on journey planning, social distancing, cleaning, face coverings, use of PPE and ventilation.
The guidance for operators has been published to help manage risks from coronavirus (COVID-19) and provide safer workplaces and services for workers and passengers.
The UK Government is engaging with a number of key international organisations including the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on a shared agenda on public health measures for international travel.
Opportunity to provide insight and analysis on the UK’s economic recovery
As a reported a few days ago, Alok Sharma has announced that he’s setting up five round tables to consider the measures needed to support the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19. These round tables are: The future of industry; Green Recovery; Backing new businesses; Increasing opportunity; and, How to win and retain more high value internationally mobile investment for the UK. If you would like to provide input on any of the themes being looked at by these round tables, you can do so by email Economic.Recovery@beis.gov.uk The deadline for input is Wednesday 17 June.
Impact of Coronavirus on Employment
The ONS ha released new statistics on the impact of Coronavirus on the UK workforce which shows that tourism and hospitality businesses have been among the most affected sectors of the economy. The main points are:
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- The total number of employers that made at least one CJRS claim to 31 May 2020 is 1.07 million
- 8.7 million employments have been supported through the scheme under claims made until 31 May, with these claims totalling £17.5 billion
- 6,300 large employers (those with 250 or more employees) have furloughed around 2.5 million employments.
- Accommodation and food services employers have furloughed 1.4 million employments and claimed £2.6 billion in support under the CJRS.
Code for Tour Guiding
Attached is a code of conduct that the professional guiding industry has developed that will cover their tour activities and help ensure customers under their care Tour Guiding. Guides who are members of the Institute of Tourist Guiding, the British Guild of Tourist Guides, the Association of Professional Tourist Guides and the Driver-Guides Association have come together to agree this code to which all members of these associations will adhere.
