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The government has announced a roadmap for reopening non-essential retail next month. From 1 June, outdoor markets and car showrooms may reopen, subject to premises being made COVID-secure. Following this, from 15 June, all other retailers, ranging from shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and electronics, as well as tailors, auction houses, photography studios, and indoor markets may reopen, if the Government’s five tests are met and these retailers follow the COVID-19 secure guidelines. 

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement on the phased reopening of the retail sector in England, related workplace guidance and enforcement powers, BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:

“Clarity and guidance on plans for a phased reopening of the retail sector will be welcomed.

“Businesses will be taking a safe, proportionate and risk-based approach to returning to work, in close consultation with their staff. For many this will be an entirely new way of operating as they apply guidance to the practical realities of their business.

“HSE and local authorities should support businesses as they seek to comply with the new rules – and reserve new enforcement powers for the tiny minority of businesses who are wilfully disobeying or ignoring their obligations.”

Also commenting on the reopening of the retail sector, Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy for Norfolk Chambers of Commerce said:

“Work is already underway in Norfolk with the Chambers, New Anglia LEP and the Business Improvement Districts in Norwich, King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth working together to help support retailers to return to trading.”

Support from Norwich BID

Support from Discover King’s Lynn

New Anglia LEP Business Toolkit

Retailers also have the opportunity to attend a free webinar, hosted by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to find out more about how to make your retail workplace COVID-secure.

The BEIS Webinar will be held on: Thursday 28 May, 11am: Book your free place here.

The new NHS Test and Trace service has launched today across England.  Take a look at the NHS test and trace workplace guidance and the Q&A for external stakeholders.

• NHS Test and Trace service to form a central part of the government’s coronavirus recovery strategy
• Anyone with symptoms will be tested and their close contacts will be traced
• New guidance means those who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive must isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus

The service is designed to help identify, contain and control coronavirus, reduce the spread of the virus and save lives. 

From today, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will need to share information about their recent interactions. This could include household members, people with whom they have been in direct contact, or within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes. 

People identified as having been in close contact with someone who has a positive test must stay at home for 14 days, even if they do not have symptoms, to stop unknowingly spreading the virus. 

If those in isolation develop symptoms, they can book a test at nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119. If they test positive, they must continue to stay at home for 7 days or until their symptoms have passed. If they test negative, they must complete the 14-day isolation period. 

Members of their household will not have to stay at home unless the person identified becomes symptomatic, at which point they must also self-isolate for 14 days to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. 

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“As we move to the next stage of our fight against coronavirus, we will be able to replace national lockdowns with individual isolation and, if necessary, local action where there are outbreaks.

“NHS Test and Trace will be vital to stopping the spread of the virus. It is how we will be able to protect our friends and family from infection, and protect our NHS. 

“This new system will help us keep this virus under control while carefully and safely lifting the lockdown nationally.”

NHS Test and Trace brings together four tools to control the virus.

• Test: increasing availability and speed of testing will underpin NHS Test and Trace.

• Trace: when someone tests positive for coronavirus the NHS Test and Trace service will use dedicated contact tracing staff, online services and local public health experts to identify any close recent contacts they’ve had and alert those most at risk of having the virus who need to self-isolate. This will be complemented by the rollout of the NHS Covid-19 App in the coming weeks.
• Contain: A national Joint Biosecurity Centre will work with local authorities and public health teams in PHE, including local Directors of Public Health, to identify localised outbreaks and support effective local responses, including plans to quickly deploy testing facilities to particular locations. Local authorities have been supported by £300m of new funding to help local authorities develop their own local outbreak control plans. 
• Enable: Government to learn more about the virus, including as the science develops, to explore how we could go further in easing infection control measures.

The NHS Test and Trace service, including 25,000 dedicated contact tracing staff working with Public Health England, will have the capacity to trace the contacts of 10,000 people who test positive for coronavirus per day and can be scaled up if needed.

The rollout of the NHS Test and Trace service has been made possible by the rapid expansion of testing. The largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history has been created and will soon have the capacity to carry out 200,000 tests a day. This includes 50 drive-through sites, more than 100 mobile testing units and 3 mega laboratories. 

People who are contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service will be given clear information explaining what they must do and how they can access local support if needed. Guidance is also available online at gov.uk/coronavirus. This comes as the Department for Work and Pensions has announced that those having to self-isolate will be eligible for statutory sick pay if they are unable to work from home. This applies across the four nations of the UK. 

Commenting on the announcement of the government’s Test and Trace Coronavirus programme, Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy for Norfolk Chambers of Commerce said:

“‘A comprehensive Test and Trace programme is essential to boosting the confidence of businesses, staff and consumers as the economic re-start continues.  Businesses will be keen to play their part in the success of the programme, and will support their staff to follow the guidance.”

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced that the government will be extending the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.  Those eligible under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), which has so far seen 2.3 million claims will be able to claim a second and final grant in August. The grant will be worth 70% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total.

Mr Sunak also set out more details on how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will continue to support jobs and business as people return to work, following the announcement of an extension of the scheme on 12 May.  So far, the CJRS has helped 1 million employers across the UK furlough 8.4 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods.

From 1 July 2020, businesses will be given the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back part time. This is a month earlier than previously announced to help support people back to work.

Individual firms will decide the hours and shift patterns their employees will work on their return, so that they can decide on the best approach for them – and will be responsible for paying their wages while in work.

From August 2020, the level of government grant provided through the job retention scheme will be slowly tapered to reflect that people will be returning to work. That means that for June and July the Government will continue to pay 80% of people’s salaries. In the following months, businesses will be asked to contribute a modest share, but crucially individuals will continue to receive that 80% of salary covering the time they are unable to work.

The scheme updates mean that the following will apply for the period people are furloughed:

• June and July: The government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 as well as employer National Insurance (ER NICS) and pension contributions. Employers are not required to pay anything.
• August: The government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500. Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions – for the average claim, this represents 5% of the gross employment costs the employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed.
• September: The government will pay 70% of wages up to a cap of £2,190. Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions and 10% of wages to make up 80% total up to a cap of £2,500. For the average claim, this represents 14% of the gross employment costs the employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed.
• October: The government will pay 60% of wages up to a cap of £1,875. Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions and 20% of wages to make up 80% total up to a cap of £2,500. For the average claim, this represents 23% of the gross employment costs the employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed.

Commenting on the Chancellor’s announcement, Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy for Norfolk Chambers said:

“The Chancellor has listened to business communities and struck a careful balance that will help many firms bring furloughed staff back to work flexibly over the coming months.

“The gradual reduction in furlough contributions from the Treasury will give businesses additional time to rebuild their income streams and cash flows, and the decision to give businesses maximum flexibility to bring people back part-time will be appreciated.”

“The furlough scheme has helped companies preserve millions of jobs through lockdown, but many firms still face significant uncertainty ahead. On that basis, closing the scheme to new applicants in June feels premature, and risks undermining some of the work already done to preserve businesses and jobs.

“Over the coming months, government will need to be open to providing new and additional support for businesses and staff who are unable to get back to work for an extended period, especially in sectors of the economy facing reduced capacity or demand due to ongoing restrictions.”

On extended support for the self-employed:

“The extension of support for the self-employed will come as welcome relief for those who have seen their livelihoods impacted by the virus. It is right that this group continues to receive similar levels of support to those on PAYE.”

The UK Government, in consultation with industry, has produced guidance to help ensure workplaces in England are as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic. Join a free webinar, hosted by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to find out more about how to make your workplace COVID-secure.

The webinars cover a range of different types of workplace settings which are allowed to be open. Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, such as an office, factory and fleet of vehicles. You may need to use more than one of the guides/webinars as you think through what you need to do to keep people safe.

Construction and other outdoor work – Guidance for people who run outdoor working environments / Monday 01 June, 11am – Book now

Labs and research facilities – Guidance for people who run indoor labs and research facilities and similar environments / Monday 01 June, 3pm – Book now

Offices and contact centres – Guidance for people who run offices, contact centres and similar indoor environments / Tursday 02 June, 11am – Book now

Homes – Guidance for people working in, visiting or delivering to home environments as well as their employers / Tuesday 02 June, 3pm – Book now

Chamber members at the ‘Look the Business’ event at Jarrolds in Norwich showed their support for the Great Eastern Rail Campaign last night.

The Norfolk Chamber has been lobbying collectively with its partners for years for an improved Norwich to London rail service but the campaign took a significant positive step forward with the production in 2009 of the ‘Once in a Generation Rail Prospect for East Anglia’. Chamber members achieved a breakthrough in 2013 when at a Norfolk Chamber event the Chancellor George Osborne announced the creation of a Taskforce to deliver the Norwich in 90 campaign.

This Taskforce has been working with Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and the campaign has been rebranded as The Great Eastern Rail Campaign.

The campaign is looking to achieve:

• A faster and more reliable trains service Norwich to London in 90 mins
• More seats and more improved carriages
• Significant investment to upgrade the track

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: “The Norfolk Chamber membership are passionate about securing an improved rail service. Our economy is really starting to grow and we need the infrastructure to support this growth.

We have a great opportunity of the next couple of months to visibly show the government just how important investment in our railways is to us as the business community and our workforce.

If you are reading this article and have not yet physically shown your support which take only a few moments please do so now. https://www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/great-eastern-rail-campaign

At a recent meeting of the Norwich Chamber Council, the feedback from members highlighted that overall the Norwich business community is buoyant. Many companies reported increased staff recruitment and overall growth of their businesses. The retail sector also reported improved sales.

The members also heard from Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Norwich International Airport. Andrew outlined their plans for the airport, including the proposed aeropark and the Aviation Academy. He advised that the airport was now the second largest heliport in the UK with four offshore operators based there. Between them they accommodate over 100,000 offshore workers flying out of Norwich each year.

The plans for the aeropark were highlighted. The 100 acre site will be to the north of the runway and will be aimed at aviation related industries. A link from the A140 will be constructed, however it was noted that the airport and the aeropark would strongly benefit from the development of the Northern Distributor Road.

The Aviation Academy is a unique concept, backed by both the airport and the University of East Anglia. It will help create skilled aviation engineers by offering a work based skills academy that is university backed. Students who complete their training, will graduate with a degree and a Civil Aviation Authority Licence, which is necessary to work on and maintain commercial aircraft.

Commenting on the extension of the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, including extending the lending limit to £200m, BCC Head of Economics Suren Thiru said:

“It is good to see the government continue to listen to business concerns and make improvements to existing schemes.

“These important changes could make a real difference to larger firms in particular and alongside the other lending support schemes will help ensure that more businesses of all sizes get access to the finance they need to help weather this unprecedented economic storm.”