Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Briefing from Barnet
“Dear all,
We’ve been very pleased to see many of Barnet’s fantastic businesses re-opening and complying with the governments social distancing guidelines. We’re also excited for many more businesses and venues to re-open from this Saturday onwards.
Please see a number of important updates below, including: new guidance for re-opening businesses and venues; requirements to carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment, to protect your employees and customers; Council officer visits and support; and temporary measures to enable social distancing on our high streets. Attached, please also see posters to communicate with your customers, and a new service to improve mental health and well-being in the workplace.
Reopening businesses
From Saturday 4 July 2020, all businesses and venues in England can reopen, except for a small number of ‘close proximity’ venues such as nightclubs, soft-play areas, indoor gyms, swimming pools, water parks, bowling alleys and spas, which will need to remain closed for now. The Government is continuing to work with these sectors to establish taskforces to help them to become COVID Secure and reopen as soon as possible.
Check if your business or venue can reopen here.
Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers and accommodation sites will be able to reopen, providing they adhere to COVID Secure guidelines. Some leisure facilities and tourist attractions may also reopen, if they can do so safely – this includes outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades.
COVID Secure guides cover a range of different types of work:
- Find the new hotel and guest accommodation guidance here.
- Find the new close contact services (hairdressing, barber shops, beauty, nail bars, make up, tattooing, spray tanning, spas, sports and massage therapy, dress fitters, tailors, fashion designers) guidance here.
- Find the new visitor economy (hotels, guest accommodation, indoor and outdoor attractions, business events and consumer shows) guidance here.
- Find the updated restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services guidance here.
Every business owner should consider the government’s 5 main steps to working safely. Further guidance is available on the Council’s COVID-19 business support webpage.
COVID-19 risk assessments
As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to their health and safety. Before re-opening your business, you should carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment. This means you need to think about the risks they face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them.
Communicate to your customers
Do you want to show your customers that you are COVID-19 aware? Print the attached A4 poster (or downloacd it here) and display it in your front window, to communicate clearly to your customers how to shop safely.
Officer visits to support you
Because your business is important to the community and we understand there are challenges to trading during this health emergency, officers from Barnet Council will be working in your town centre to support you with making temporary adjustments to your business practices and to ensure social distancing compliance. The visits started Monday the 15th of June. Officers are wearing high visibility jackets and clearly identifiable, so please feel free to approach them for advice. If you require an additional visit from an officer or further information, then please contact: environmentalhealth@barnet.gov.uk.
Enabling social distancing on our high streets
Last week the Council installed temporary barriers on Chipping Barnet High Street, Burnt Oak town centre (Watling Avenue) and North Finchley town centre (on a section of Ballards Lane). This will be followed by temporary signs and the relocation of loading bays and disabled bays where required. The aim of these measure is to provide more space on the footway and enable social distancing in our town centres. Next week we will introduce similar measures in Edgware town centre (Station Road) and in Golders Green town centre (on Finchley Road by the Gyratory, outside the Post Office). These temporary measures have been funded by the European Regional Development Fund to aid the safe and efficient reopening of our high streets.
Working Well Service
In partnership with Get Set UK, the Council has launched a fully-funded service for SMEs in the borough, aiming to tackle the issue of mental health and well-being within the workplace, especially post-COVID 19. Called ‘Working Well,’ the service can be used by any Barnet-based organisation to help improve staff retention and reduce absenteeism due to daily stresses or mental health issues.
The service includes:
- Organisation Needs Analysis
- MH Awareness Training
- Support with creating or adapting policies and procedures
- Sign-posting systems to local services.
- Accessing external support including funding.
- Mental Health Champion Scheme (including discounted Mental Health First Aid Training).
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
- Employer and Employee liaison service .
- Employment Advice and Support.
For further details or to sign-up, contact Shabana Ghori by phone (07741 636 413) or email (shabana@getsetuk.co.uk).
