Following the statement from the Prime Minister yesterday evening there has been further information on the rules for England - to add to those for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The updated advice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#history
It covers twenty aspects from “hands, face and space” to “going to school, college and university”, “travel”, “sporting activity” and “childcare”.
The “going to work” section for example, says:
- Only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.
- Where people cannot work from home - including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing - they should continue to travel to their workplace.
- Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.
- Where it is necessary for you to work in other people’s homes - for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople - you can do so (avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where COVID-19 Secure measures may not be in place).
Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements, and employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.
The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID Secure Guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.
We will therefore see further disruption to both our work and social activities over the coming weeks as each region of the UK looks to manage the COVID-19, albeit with slightly different tactics. What is clear though is that in supporting employers, employees and critical national infrastructure, health, safety and wellbeing considerations remain paramount.
The levels of compliance, in air and water quality, Legionella, fire and health and safety, having been achieved or re-established, could once more be challenged, if not properly and effectively managed, and those responsible for that management not keeping ‘acquainted’ with the compliance performance.