Members with branches or offices frequented by customers will need to consider making and communicating clear plans about how they will keep employees and customer safe when mask-wearing is no-longer a legal requirement.
This could include asking employees to continue wearing masks or continuing to use plastic protection screens.
The Government has updated its Coronavirus Guidance outlining what you can and cannot do when Covid restrictions ease in England on 19 July. In a statement on 12 July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged caution saying:
“It is absolutely vital that we proceed now with caution. And I cannot say this powerfully or emphatically enough. This pandemic is not over. This disease coronavirus continues to carry risks for you and for your family. We cannot simply revert instantly from Monday 19th July to life as it was before Covid.
“We will stick to our plan to lift legal restrictions and to lift social distancing, but we expect and recommend that people wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with those you don’t normally meet.
“We’re removing the Government instruction to work from home where you can, but we don’t expect that the whole country will return to their desks from Monday. And we’re setting out guidance for business for a gradual return to work over the summer.”
To further support people with the transition, the Government has published the ‘Moving to Step 4 of the roadmap’ document. This sets out the essential actions that everybody should take to protect themselves and others while prevalence is high, as we transition towards learning to live with Covid-19.
