Government Confirms Lifting of Restrictions

The Prime Minister has confirmed that the move to Step 4 of the COVID‐19 Roadmap will go ahead next Monday 19 July. The majority of restrictions including social distancing will end and people will no longer be required to work from home; however, the Government is emphasising that the pandemic is not over and people should exercise caution and take personal responsibility.

It is expected and recommended that face coverings are worn in crowded and enclosed spaces when mixing with people you don’t normally meet, and the Mayor of London has confirmed that they will remain mandatory on the London transport network. Guidance will be published for businesses on managing the return to the workplace and the current position will be reviewed in September.
 
The Scottish Government has confirmed that Scotland will move to Level 0 on 19 July but certain mitigations will remain in place, including the mandatory wearing of face coverings and working from home where possible. Wales will move fully to alert level one from 17 July and to a new alert level zero on 7 August and Northern Ireland is expected to outline its plans for easing restrictions shortly.

Site operating procedures & face covering guidelines have been updated within our industry. The NICF would encourage members to respond to the governments appeal to continue to exercise caution and use discretion to apply measures to ensure they stay safe when working in peoples homes. E.g. checking that customers do not have the virus or any symptoms, washing hands, sanitising etc.