COVID-19 Updates – week commencing 26/07/21
More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance.
Go to date:
26 July 2021 …
Tourism Alliance update:
Public Guidance Updated
The primary guidance to the public on coronavirus has been updated to inform people that the areas where they should take additional care in meeting other people had been expanded to include:
-
- Newcastle City Council
- North Tyneside Council
- Northumberland County Council
- Durham County Council
- Gateshead Council
- South Tyneside Council
- Sunderland City Council
- Darlington Borough Council
- Hartlepool Borough Council
- Middlesbrough Council
- Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
- Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
However, the following areas have been removed from this list
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- Lancashire County Council
- Blackpool Borough Council
- Cheshire East Council
- Cheshire West and Chester Council
- Liverpool City Region
- Warrington Borough Council
- Bedford Borough Council
- Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
- Bolton Council
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
Guidance if You Cannot Work
The guidance for people who are employed but cannot work due to coronavirus has been updated to reflect the fact that shielding in England, Scotland and Wales has stopped and the time limit for making a backdated claim has passed.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-what-to-do-if-youre-employed-and-cannot-work
- Social Impacts of Coronavirus
The latest wave of ONS’s ongoing research on the social impacts of coronavirus has been published. This covers the period up to 18th July so does not cover any public sentiment since the move to Step 4. However, there are some interesting insights such as:
-
- The number of people thinking that it will take at least a year for things to get back to normal continues to increase (up from 28% last week to 32% this week)
- Anxiety levels slightly decreased from 4.0 to 3.8
- The percentage of adults who met-up with someone outdoors increased to 58% and while the percentage meeting up inside is at 47%
- 90% of people feel that compliance with measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus such as wearing a face mask while shopping is very important or important
Test And Trace Guidance Updated
There is an update to the Test and Trace guidance regarding the Test and Trace Payment Support – which is the £500 payment that low-income employees could be eligible for if they have been told to self-isolate. The new guidance states that if employees have not tested positive but have been are identified as a close contact, their employer should call the Self-Isolation Service Hub on 020 3743 6715 to give them the employee’s contact details. The employee will then be sent their NHS Test and Trace ID and be able to apply for the payment.
Employers will need to provide the NHS Test and Trace Account ID of the person who tested positive and as well as the name and contact details of the person who is the close contact.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance
Q1 IPS Figures
ONS have released the Q1 IPS figures and they obviously don’t make great reading with spend down 94% on 2020
Visits and spend (air passengers only)
| Total | Q1 2021 | % change vs. Q1 2020 |
| Visits | 195,000 | -96% |
| Spend | £248 million | -94% |
| Nights | 10.4 million | -75% |
Visits and spend by journey purpose (air passengers only)
| Journey purpose | Visits
Q1 2021 |
% change vs. Q1 2020 | Spend
Q1 2021 |
% change vs. Q1 2020 |
| Holiday | 7,000 | -100% | £10 million | -99% |
| VFR | 127,000 | -93% | £130 million | -89% |
| Business | 20,000 | -98% | £32 million | -96% |
| Study | 11,000 | -86% | £38 million | -75% |
| Miscellaneous (excl. study) | 29,000 | -92% | £37 million | -80% |
Visits and spend by global region (air passengers only)
| Global region | Visits
Q1 2021 |
% change vs. Q1 2020 | Spend
Q1 2021 |
% change vs. Q1 2020 |
| Total Europe | 115,000 | -97% | £114 million | -93% |
| EU Total | 104,000 | -97% | £98 million | -93% |
| EU 15 | 69,000 | -97% | £62 million | -94% |
| Other EU | 35,000 | -94% | £37 million | -86% |
| Rest of Europe | 11,000 | -97% | £16 million | -95% |
| North America | 28,000 | -96% | £28 million | -95% |
| Rest of World | 51,000 | -96% | £105 million | -93% |
While not being surprising, these figures do emphasise the need for support for inbound and outbound tourism businesses and the businesses that rely on international tourism.
https://www.visitbritain.org/2021-q1-inbound-data
- Statement On Test And Trace In Wales
The Welsh First Minister has issues a statement to clarify the Welsh Government’s position regarding NHS Covid-19 App users who are notified that they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
The statement is to the effect that the NHS Covid-19 App continues to be an important tool and users should continue to follow the self-isolation advice if they receive a notification. People are also reminded that it is a legal requirement to self-isolate if instructed by the TTP service and, although the NHS Covid-19 App is not covered by this legal duty, users you are “pinged” should follow the instruction to self-isolate to help minimise the spread of the virus.
The statement also says that, in August, the Welsh Government aims to remove the requirement for people who have been fully vaccinated to self-isolate if they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive. They will also consider other potential exemptions, such as for those under the age of 18. The NHS Covid-19 App will align with these change when they are made.
It is emphasised that until any changes are introduced it is essential that people should self-isolate regardless of whether they are contacted by Test and Trace or “pinged”.
R Number And Growth Rate
As usual, here’s this week’s R Number and Growth Rate – which are 1.2 to 1.4 and +4% to +6%. While not ideal, the good news is that the figures are the same as last week which means that the move to Step 4 has not caused an acceleration in the growth rate of infections.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-value-and-growth-rate
Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance update:
The outcome from the NI Executive meeting yesterday was agreement on the following easements which will come into effect from 6pm tonight (Executive decisions on relaxations to Covid-19 restrictions – 26 July 2021 | The Executive Office (executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk)
- Theatres/concert halls to reopen
- Indoor domestic gatherings up to 10 (3 households)
- Lifting of MOT centre restrictions
- Face coverings in churches – switch to guidance only
We are disappointed that a restart date hasn’t been given for business events and this will be discussed at the Executive meeting on Thursday.
Alignment of Travel Regulations – As per my previous updates, with the RoI adopting the EU Digital Covid Certificate, overseas travellers from the EU and those countries on the EU safe list are now able to travel to RoI without the need for testing or quarantine. Due to the majority of these countries being on the NI Amber list, visitors from these countries will need to follow the travel regulations in order to visit NI (UK Passenger Locator Form, Pre departure test, test day 2 and 8 and quarantine for 10 days). This is already impacting on planned business for this season due to NI being removed from all Island tours. The Minister met with tour operators, hotels and attractions to hear first-hand the issues being faced, the impact on business and the longer term impacts of reputational damage. NITA will continue to make the case for alignment of travel regulations and it is hoped that these will be discussed at the Executive meeting on Thursday.
High Street Voucher Scheme – Talking on the Nolan Show this morning, the Health Minister has raised the possibility of linking the high street voucher scheme to people being fully vaccinated. He said he will be discussing with the Executive. There are no further details.
Custom House and Belsonic Concerts – It has been announced today that people attending these music events, taking place in August and September, will have to show proof of Covid antibodies, vaccination or a negative test. People will be required to prove their Covid status in one of three ways:
- Proof of full Covid vaccination – both doses received, with the second at least 14 days prior to the event
- Proof of a negative NHS lateral flow test taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival at the event
- Proof of natural Covid antibodies based upon a positive PCR test within 180 days of the event (including 10 days self-isolation following the result of the test)
Phase 2 Belfast Rapid Transport Project – Not related to Covid-19 but of importance to Tourism and the ability to move around the city of Belfast, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has launched a public consultation to seek views on the emerging routes for Phase 2 of the Belfast Rapid Transit Project (BRT2) to help inform the identification of a preferred route in both South and North Belfast. The following provides detail on the route options which form the basis of the public consultation:
- South Route – (Ormeau Road) – Running from the existing G1/G2 network at City Hall along Great Victoria Street, Bruce Street, Bankmore Link (proposed new public transport and active travel link) to Ormeau Road then continuing from Ormeau Road to Ravenhill Road intersection and along the Saintfield Road to Cairnshill Park & Ride.
- G2 Extension – This route forms an extension to the existing G2 service (which connects Belfast City Centre to Titanic Quarter)running from the existing G1/G2 network at City Hall along Great Victoria Street, Bruce Street, Dublin Road, University Road, Elmwood Avenue and returning to the City Centre via Lisburn Road and Great Victoria Street. This route serves to link Glider with Queen’s University and Belfast City Hospital.
There are presently three options remaining from which a North route will be selected once public consultation responses are considered and further assessments are completed:
- North Route (Antrim Road) – Running from the existing G1/G2 network at City Hall along Donegall Place and Royal Avenue. From here it uses Donegall Street to access Clifton Street and then from Carlisle Circus continues along the Antrim Road to a proposed new Transport Hub / Park & Ride facility on O’Neill Road.
- North Route – (Shore Road Option A) – Running from the existing G1/G2 network at City Hall along Donegall Place and Royal Avenue to York Street. From here it runs along York Road and Shore Road to Longwood Road. It then continues along Longwood Road and Church Road to a proposed new Transport Hub / Park & Ride facility on O’Neill Road.
- North Route – (Shore Road Option B) – Running from the existing G1/G2 network at City Hall along Donegall Place and Royal Avenue to York Street. From here it runs along York Road and Shore Road to Longwood Road terminating at a proposed new Transport Hub / Park & Ride facility adjacent to the Abbeycentre.
Further details on the consultation are available on the following weblink: www.brt2.org
27 July 2021 …
Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance update:
Regulations – The regulations relating to the easements announced on Monday are attached. As you will see, the requirement for table service for food and drink is included in the regulations. We have raised this with the Department of Health, Economy and the Executive Office, as this requirement is not feasible for a number of venues. An exemption will require NI Executive approval and we are working with the departments to get this on the NI Executive agenda as quickly as possible.
Covid Certification Service Temporarily Unavailable – The Department of Health have announced that COVIDCert NI has experienced a technical difficulty, with regard to users being presented with data for other users in a limited number of instances, and availability will be temporarily interrupted. Immediate action has been taken to temporarily remove a part of the service that manages identity. The Department are working to resolve the issue and will provide an update ASAP. The impact of this on applications is as follows:
- Applicants (currently up to and including 31/07) who already have their certificate will not be impacted by this – their apps or paper copies are still operational.
- Applicants (to 31/07) who have lodged an application using the online portal for a downloadable PDF who have not yet received it will not be impacted by this – their PDF will be delivered.
- Applicants (to 31/07) who have lodged an application using the COVIDCert NI app for an electronic certificate who have not yet received it will not be impacted by this – they will be sent a PDF as an interim step.
- Applicants (to 31/07) who have lodged an application for an electronic certificate who receive a PDF copy instead will be able to log-in and download an electronic version after the issue is fixed.
- Applicants who are currently undergoing identity validation in the NIDirect workflow can continue. Once successfully validated they will need to pause while we fix the above issue.
- Some users may find they cannot login through their NIDirect account, as they have been locked due to the technical issue.
Rapid Covid-19 Testing – The Health Minister has again urged businesses to avail of the free Lateral Flow Tests and implement Rapid Testing in their workplace. Launched in March 2021, the NI SMART Testing Programme is currently rolling out free rapid testing across NI. The workforce testing programme has seen strong interest from businesses in the public, private and 3rd sector across Northern Ireland, with over 1037 expressions of interest from organisations representing almost 129,827 employees. In addition, small businesses or organisations with 10 or less employees have a number of options to access free rapid LFD tests. These include:
- Community based assisted testing site (ATS)
- Community based collection site
- Home delivery of tests
More information is available at Rapid Tests | Department of Health (health-ni.gov.uk)
Vaccination Programme – There is now 83% of the adult population who have received at least one dose of the vaccination and 70% of the adult population are now fully vaccinated. In the RoI, the vaccination programme has been rolled out to 16/17 year olds and yesterday he confirmed that, based on advice received by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), those aged 12-15 years will be offered an mRNA vaccine to protect themselves from COVID-19.
28 July 2021 …
Tourism Alliance update:
With the restrictions on quarantining being lifted for EEA nationals arriving in England from 2 August, I’ve clarification has been sought on whether people looking to travel by land via France from countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have to quarantine on arrival in England. The guidance is:
- It is not currently possible to transit by road through an amber or red-list country without being subject to the restrictions that apply to those categories, including the requirement to self-isolate for those travelling from or through France, regardless of vaccination status.
- The Regulations allow for passengers to transit higher-risk countries without being subject to corresponding restrictions provided certain conditions are met, namely that they do not disembark the conveyance and that passengers are unable to join the conveyance at any point in higher risk countries, unless they are segregated.
- It is possible to meet these requirements when travelling directly by train to the UK, however passengers are advised to check with their operator.
This means that if a visitor from a third country travels through France by private vehicle or coach, they have to quarantine on arrival in England. However, if they are coming via a train service such as Eurostar, they may be able to avoid quarantining on arrival into England but they need to check with the operator to make sure that the service they are using conditions that have been set.
Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance update:
Just a quick update on the decisions made by the NI Executive today (once the detailed statement is available we will distribute):-
- People who have been fully vaccinated in the EU or the US travelling from Amber countries will not need to isolate when coming to Northern Ireland from Monday, in line with England, Wales and Scotland
- International Cruises can restart from 31st July
- Guidance for social distancing in indoor settings (such as supermarkets and retail and shopping centres has been decreased from 2m to 1m – we need to check if this covers all indoor settings, such as attractions etc.
- The decision to allow the restart of business conferences/exhibitions has been delayed until August
30 July 2021 …
Tourism Alliance update:
Status of Children Arriving From The EU And US After 2nd August
There has been some confusion as to whether children under the age of 18 had to quarantine on arrival into England after 2nd August which two guidance documents giving conflicting advice. This has now been resolved with the updating of the Quarantining guidance to read:
Children from the USA and Europe
Children under 18 who are residents of the USA or the listed European countries also do not need to quarantine or take a day 8 test.
They must follow the same rules as children and young people from the UK which are in this guide.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england
Welsh Statement On International Visitors
The Welsh Government has released a statement saying that while they regret the UK Government’s decision to relax quarantine requirements for vaccinated European and US visitors on 2nd August, it would be ineffective to introduce separate arrangements for Wales. As such, they will be aligning with the other UK administrations and implementing this decision for Wales.
However, they continue to caution Welsh residents against international travel for non-essential reasons this summer.
https://gov.wales/written-statement-international-travel-changes-2-august-2021
NHS Covid Pass
The guidance on the NHS Covid Pass has been updated to:
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- reflect that proof of natural immunity shown by a positive PCR test can be used to demonstrate COVID-19 status when travelling abroad
- the Pass can be stored used the Apple Wallet when using an iPhone or iPad
- reflect that those who received the Novavax vaccine as part of a formally approved vaccine trial can now obtain the NHS COVID Pass.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass
CJRS Statistics
ONS has published the latest wave of research on the uptake of the CJRS. The figures are for the period through to the end of June (so don’t cover the move to Step 4) but the main points are:
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- The were a total of 1.9 million people on furlough on 30 June 2021
- the arts, entertainment and recreation sector had the highest take-up rate of all the sectors, with 20% of its employments eligible for furlough on furlough. This sector had 99,400 employments on furlough at 30 June, a reduction of 49,300 employments since 31 May
- the accommodation and food services sector had 19% of its eligible employments on furlough. However, this sector also saw the largest reduction in the number of employments on furlough between 31 May and 30 June. There were 337,800 employments on furlough in this sector at 30 June 2021 (18% of the total), a reduction of 291,900 from the end of May.
Public Availability of CJRS Claim Data
The CJRS guidance for businesses has been updated to say that furloughed employees can see if they were included in a grant for claim periods from December 2020 to May 2021 in their personal tax account and that this information will be updated monthly and June 2021 claims will be available for employees to view from 9 September 2021.
Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance
The Executive have published their statement on the decisions made at their meeting yesterday Statement on Executive decisions – 29 July 2021 | The Executive Office (executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk). All the changes will take effect from 6pm tonight as follows:
Social distancing – there will be a further discussion on this at the Executive meeting on 12th August
The Executive has decided that:
- In relation to retail and shopping centres, the regulations will move from a requirement for 2 metres to 1 metre. This will ensure consistency in regulations with other indoor settings such as hospitality and indoor attractions
- For outdoor venues, the guidance will continue to note the health benefits of 2 metres social distancing. However, the guidance will further advise that social distancing requirements are strongly advised but are not a requirement. Where possible, a minimum of 1 metre should be
Live music venues
- The Executive has expanded their previous decision, to allow the return of live music in concert halls and theatres, to include other indoor venues such as function rooms of hotels, or community halls.
- There will be no restriction to background or ambient levels of volume. Where the venue is a space within larger premises, access to the venue must be effectively controlled and managed and the venue must be sufficiently isolated from the rest of the premises to ensure that the volume of the music in the venue does not breach ambient or background levels in other parts of the premises.
- The use of lateral flow testing for all events is strongly advised as a measure to reduce risk. Social distancing; the use of face coverings; and holding events outdoors where possible, are also advised as mitigating measures.
International Travel
- From 2 August there will be a pilot roll out of the expansion of the amber vaccinated arrivals policy to include people vaccinated in any of the EU27 (except France); EFTA countries (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein); and the European microstate countries (Andorra, Monaco, and Vatican City) and the United States.
- In relation to arrivals from the United States, it was agreed that the policy approach will be that: only people fully vaccinated with FDA-approved vaccines in the US rollout, who can present a CDC card as proof of vaccination, would be included. A requirement to prove residency in addition to the CDC card for US arrivals was agreed, to mitigate against fraud.
- From 31 July, international cruises will restart in line with the traffic light system, with strong guidance to the sector outlining the need to manage increased risks and maintain risk mitigations (including use of vaccination and testing), alongside continued monitoring of cruise data and clear contingency plans. Measures will be put in place to facilitate alternative managed isolation arrangements for international student arrivals from red list countries from 9 August.
- From 2 August, a bespoke testing regime will be implemented, which will apply to NI international arrivals exempt from self-isolation because they are travelling for work. This will only apply to specific types of work as outlined in the regulations.
- An exemption from self-isolation for Villarreal fans and UEFA VIPs travelling for the Super Cup Final on 11 August will be put in place, with the IFA putting in place a range of mitigations.
Clarification
We have raised the issue of the disparity of regulations on international travel across the island of Ireland. We were on Evening Extra last night talking about the importance of alignment across the island of Ireland and Judith Owens from Titanic Belfast was on Radio Foyle and GMU this morning about the impact of the disparity on business.
We are seeking clarity with regard to:
- Will fully vaccinated visitors from amber countries, as above, be required to complete UK Passenger Locator Form, pre-departure test and test on day 2
- What is the case for travellers who have recovered from Covid-19 or have had a negative PCR test – these travellers are all included in the RoI and are not required to quarantine or have a tests
- What is the position with regard to checking the status of international travellers coming to NI via RoI
