COVID-19 Updates – week commencing 17/01/22
More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance.
Go to date:
21 January 2022 …
Tourism Alliance update:
- Wales Moves to Level 0
The Welsh Government has announced that it will complete the move to Alert Level 0 on 28 January. This is not to be confused to the move the move to Alert level 0 for outdoor activities which came into effect today.
On 21 January:
o Crowds will be able to return to outdoor sporting events.
o There will be no limits on the number of people who can take part in outdoor activities and events.
o Outdoor hospitality will be able to operate without the additional measures required introduced in December, such as the rule of 6 and 2m social distancing
o The Covid Pass will continue to be required for entry to larger outdoor events attended by more than 4,000 people, if unseated, or 10,000 people when seated.
o The Covid Pass is required in all cinemas, theatres and concert halls which are currently open.
On 28th January when Wales completes the move to alert level 0.
o Nightclubs will re-open.
o Businesses, employers and other organisations must continue to undertake a specific coronavirus risk assessment and take reasonable measures to minimise the spread of coronavirus.
o The general requirement of 2m social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces will be removed.
o The rule of 6 will no longer apply to gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas and theatres.
o Licensed premises will no longer need to only provide table service and collect contact details.
o Working from home will remain part of advice from the Welsh Government but it will no longer be a legal requirement.
The Covid Pass will continue to be required to enter larger indoor events, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls.
https://gov.wales/phased-easing-of-covid-restrictions-to-continue-first-minister
- DCMS Skill Shortage Estimates
DCMS has published estimates of skills shortages in businesses under its responsibility. The figures suggesting that the number of businesses with at least one skills shortage vacancy are:
Tourism 6.0%
Creative Industries 3.7%
Cultural Sector 1.9%
Digital 4.9%
Sport 4.4%
Telecoms 6.1%
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dcms-sectors-skills-shortages-and-skills-gaps-2019
- R Number and Growth Rate
This week’s R Number and Growth Rate are, respectively, 0.8 to 1.1 and -6% to +1%. This is a dramatic decrease from last week when they were 1.1 to 1.5 and +1% to +5% and suggests that Omicron is very much a “boom and bust” infection.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-value-and-growth-rate
19 January 2022 …
Tourism Alliance update:
Lifting Of Plan B Restrictions
As you will no doubt be aware, the Prime Minister announced that the Plan B restrictions are being removed. Here’s a link to the announcement:
The key components of the announcement are that:
From Today
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- Workers are no longer asked to work from home if they can. People should talk to their employers to agree arrangements to return to the workplace.
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From 27th January
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- There is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering. People are still advised to wear one in crowded and indoor spaces where they may come into contact with people they do not normally meet.
- Venues and events are no longer required by law to check the COVID Pass status of customers or staff.
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From 24th March
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- It is not expected that the self-isolation requirements will be renewed.
- A new strategy for living with Coronavirus will be launched
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Here is a link to the primary public guidance but there are also numerous updates to business guidance that reflect these changes
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
It is important to note that while some media are stating that “all restrictions are being removed”, this is just a return to Plan A and some restrictions remain including the need to self-isolate and testing related to overseas travel. Also individual businesses can still require customers to wear masks or have their covid pass status verifies if they deem that to be in the best interests of staff and customers.
It is also worth noting that this announcement does not mean that the primary sector specific guidance for businesses is going to be removed. Rather, it is going to be updated as guidance on how businesses best mitigate the ongoing risks associated with coronavirus.
- Reclaiming Statutory Sick Pay
The Statutory Sick Pay scheme has been reintroduced but businesses can only claim for employees who were off work on or after 21 December 2021. The new date for PAYE scheme eligibility is 30 November 2021. The maximum number of employees you can claim for is the number you had across your PAYE schemes on 30 November 2021.
Removal Of Restrictions In Scotland
The Scottish Government has announced that from 24th January, all Omicron related restrictions will be removed. Specifically:
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- there will be no limits on attendance at indoor public events
- there will be no requirement to have physical distancing between different groups in indoor public places
- hospitality premises no longer need to provide table service
- nightclubs can reopen
- non-professional indoor contact sports can resume
- guidance asking people to stick to a 3 household limit on indoor gatherings will be removed but we all should continue to keep gatherings as small as our circumstances allow for now – until the end of January
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https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-safe-and-protecting-others/
- ERF Fund Applications Open In Wales
The Welsh Government’s £120m Economic Resilience Fund is now open for applications. This fund is available for applications by retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism business and their supply chains affected by the move to alert level 2 announced by the First Minister on Wednesday 22 December. Eligible businesses can apply for grants of between £2,500 to £25,000, with grants dependent on their size and number of employees. The application window will be open for two weeks, with payments starting to reach businesses within days.
https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales/businesssupport
- Travel Advice For France Updated
The Foreign Travel Advice for France has been updated to say that UK visitors over the age of 12 need to present a negative PCR or antigen test result taken within 24 hours of departure and, importantly, the test results must be certified by an approved private test provider to be accepted rather than a result that they have registered on the NHS testing service.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements
Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance
Changes to Covid Restrictions
The NI Executive statement is available at Decisions of the Executive – relaxations to COVID restrictions | The Executive Office (executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk). In effect, the restrictions that were introduced as a result of the escalating Omicron Variant have now been reversed. This will take place in two phases starting from noon tomorrow and second phase from noon on 26th January as follows:
Phase 1 – Effective from Noon 21st January
- Maximum table numbers and requirement to be seated has been removed in all hospitality settings
- The maximum number of 3 households to meet in private premises will be removed
- The legal requirement to wear face masks in certain settings will remain, however the legal requirement to prove medical exemption from wearing a face mask has been removed. This will revert to the reasonable excuse of ‘severe distress’. Businesses still have a statutory duty to promote and encourage the wearing of face masks, however this is not a legal requirement and it is not an offence.
- The requirement for offices to take reasonable measures for 2m social distancing will be removed. Guidance remains in place that risk assessments should be carried out.
- The self-isolation period following a positive PCR test has been reduced from 7 full days to 5 full days. To stop self-isolation early you must have a negative lateral flow test on two consecutive days from day 5 onwards.
Phase 2 – Effective Noon 26th January
- The prohibition of dancing in all settings will be removed
- Nightclubs can reopen – vaccination certification checks will remain a legal requirement
- Vaccination certification will be removed from a legal requirement in all settings apart from nightclubs, indoor events of more than 500 people standing/partially standing. This means that the requirement for all seated events, theatres, cinemas, restaurants, hotels will only be guidance. However, it is strongly encouraged for large events but it is not a legal requirement
- Note: Proof of medical exemption from vaccination/testing is still required.
- Working from Home message will revert to that within the Winter plan – ‘You should work from home where you can and employers are encouraged to facilitate working from home/hybrid working where possible’
The next substantive review of the remaining restrictions – face coverings, risk assessments, recording of visitor information and Covid Passes for nightclubs/large gatherings and the guidance on regular Lateral Flow Tests will be on 10th February.
Other updates from the meeting:-
- Extension of the Hospitality Support scheme to be extended to include hotels will be discussed further with Department for the Economy and Covid Taskforce
- The Bus and Coach sector has been allocated £4M as part of the January Monitoring round and details are awaited from Department of Infrastructure on details of a further financial support scheme for the sector
- There have been no changes to the international travel regulations and we continue to follow the rest of the UK with the requirement to have a day 2 test prebooked before entering the UK. This continues to differ from the RoI and creates additional process/cost for international visitors coming to NI via RoI. The UK Government are reviewing the current regulations and an update is expected by the end of the month. Across the UK there is a call for the day 2 test requirement to be removed.
