The Government has issued further guidance on which businesses and premises must remain closed and has confirmed that tradesmen can continue to carry out work in people’s homes.
Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms. Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a 2-metre distance from any household occupants, should be followed to ensure everyone’s safety.
No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.
No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.
Businesses and premises that must remain closed
• All retail with notable exceptions (see below)
• Restaurants, public houses, wine bars or other drinking establishments
Food delivery and takeaway can remain operational and can be a new activity supported by the new permitted development right. This covers the provision of hot or cold food that has been prepared for consumers for collection or delivery to be consumed, reheated or cooked by consumers off the premises.
• Cafes and canteens
Cafés and canteens at hospitals, care homes or schools; prison and military canteens; services providing food or drink to the homeless can remain open. Where there are no practical alternatives, other workplace canteens can remain open to provide food for their staff and/or provide a space for breaks. However, where possible, staff should be encouraged to bring their own food, and distributors should move to takeaway.
• Nightclubs and bars in hotels or members’ clubs
• Hairdressers, barbers, beauty and nail salons including piercing and tattoo parlours
• Massage parlours
• Outdoor and indoor markets and shopping centres
Market stalls which offer essential retail, such as grocery and food, can remain open. Shopping centres should stay open if they contain units which are not required to close.
• Auction houses
• Car showrooms
Garages and repair shops can remain open
• Hotels, hostels, B&Bs, campsites and boarding houses for commercial use
Where people live in these as interim abodes whilst their primary residence is unavailable they may continue to do so. Key workers, permanent residents, and non-UK residents who are unable to travel to their country of residence during this period can continue to stay in hotels or similar where required. People who are unable to move into a new home due to the current restrictions can also stay at hotels.
• Caravan parks/site for commercial uses
Where people live permanently in caravan parks or are staying in caravan parks as interim abodes where their primary residence is not available, they may continue to do so.
• Libraries
• Community centres, youth centres and similar
Except for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public services, such as food banks, homeless services, and blood donation sessions.
• Places of worship
Funerals, where the congregation is immediate family (with provision for a carer, if required) or a friend – in the case that no family members are attending – can still take place. A minister of religion, to go to their place of worship, including to broadcast an act of worship to people outside the place of worship, whether over the internet or otherwise, is also permitted. Places of worship can remain open for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public service, such as food banks, homeless services, and blood donation sessions.
• Cinemas, theatres and concert halls
Live streaming of a performance by a small group could be permissible where Public Health England guidelines are observed. Blood donation sessions would also be allowed to be held at these venues.
• Museums and galleries
• Bingo halls, casinos and betting shops
• Spas
• Indoor skating rinks
• Fitness studios, gyms, swimming pools and other indoor leisure centres
• Arcades, bowling alleys, soft play centres and similar
• Enclosed spaces in parks including playgrounds, sports court, outdoor gyms and similar
Retail businesses that can open
• Supermarkets and other food shops
• Health shops
• Medical services
Such as dental surgeries, opticians and audiology clinics, physiotherapy clinics, chiropody and podiatry clinics and other professional vocational medical services
• Pharmacies and chemists
• Petrol stations
• Bicycle shops
• Hardware shops
• Veterinary surgeries and pet shops
• Corner shops and newsagents
• Off-licences and licensed shops selling alcohol, including those within breweries
• Laundrettes and dry cleaners
• All post offices
• High street banks, building societies, short-term loan providers, credit unions and cashpoints
• Storage and distribution facilities including delivery drop off points
• Public toilets
Takeaway and delivery facilities should remain open
People can continue to enter premises to access takeaway services, including delivery drivers. Businesses are encouraged to take orders online or by telephone, and businesses should not provide seating areas, indoors and outdoors, for customers to consume food and drink on. Ordering in advance is strongly encouraged to avoid waiting in, as per Public Health England guidelines.
Planning regulation has been changed to enable restaurants, cafés and pubs which do not currently offer delivery and hot food takeaway to do so. The legislation can be accessed online. People must not consume food or drinks on site at restaurants, cafés or pubs whilst waiting for takeaway food. Those venues offering takeaway or delivery services must not include alcoholic beverages in this list if their license does not already permit.
“Many people who catch the virus could only show very mild symptoms while others won’t show any symptoms at all but these people could still be spreading it.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The life line offered to tradesman to carry on, is it a life line or potentially life threatening
This is ludicrous it’s almost saying carry on as normal , there going to regret this big time
Stay home, protect the NHS save lives, but it’s ok to go and work in someone’s home,seriously .. Also you get stopped by the police and asked where you are going , your reply off to work in someone’s house and may spread or catch coronavirus is that ok officer.
I’m self employed and scared to hell about my finances but saving lives of my family and that of others is so important right now. I’m certainly not risking it.
It’s high time the government start to put in place some benefits for the self employed trades people, they have families to support, bills to pay like the rest of us.
Most of them have swindled their tax for decades, so why should the Government help out those who have been living high on the hog by robbing HMG of taxes?
Get them to sell their huge cars, trucks, homes abroad, massive houses, first, ‘then’ help them, but not until then.
Thats an incredibly naive, offensive and discriminatory comment, I am self employed and have probably paid far more in tax during my self employment than you. Yes there are some people who are self employed who swindle the tax system as there are also many people who are employed (PAYE) who do lots of private work without paying tax on that, but you dont hear us self employed arguing about that. The vast majority of self employed traders are hard working, honest individuals and we should be considered for financial assistance in the same way that the employed are
In this day and age, especially with all that is going on at the moment, I wish people would actually have a little more compassion for others – the “I’m alright Jack” attitude is an absolute poison in our society and I for one cannot wait for it to be eradicated
Sorry you feel my remark unjustified, but I have known many self employed, and perhaps I mix with the wrong sort, but the majority of those I have know, all otherwise great guys, have swindled their tax by not declaring cash jobs, claiming for expenses never met, and gaining on the huge discounts they receive at wholesalers, but charging the customer the full price for such items.
Where once a builder, or plumber would have lived in a two up, two down, with a second hand van, and a short holiday in Spain, most now have huge homes, massive van, with a car each for themselves and partner, and holidays for longer in exotic locations.
Now, something has changed, and as it is not the amount of hours they ‘do’, as most only work shorter hours than pervious generations, they must be overcharging or under paying their taxes.
Those I know get away with both, so, my point is WHY should they be helped as a priority when others who abided by the rules are not?
Glad you are honest, and clearly some are, but my guess, as that is all it can be, is not the majority.
Seay you need to be banned from this site your comments are offensive and I’d like to know what you do for a living and how this is affecting your life
IF I am wrong, then just an idiotic comment, so why worry, IF all are oh so innocent? Could it be the fear of whistle blowing? I know not all are crooked, but many I have known have been, and almost proud of such. It never bothered me, as I thought they don’t get paid hols or easy to get sick pay etc, but when they whinge for Gov assistance when ‘those’ who have shirked their tax due, then I find ‘that’ offensive.
Banning is for those who fear the truth being told, as IF just and ‘idiot’ then ‘they’ would be ignored. IF the cap fits…..
Got any friends? You are a scathing, jealous, prick who has nothing better to do than accuse others, stick your head up your own arse mate!!
That’s a disgusting remark ,my daughter and her partner has had to shut there business down .They pay there taxes like everyone else , vat and business tax never lived the high life ,don’t have flash cars. They now have a shop full of stock that has been paid for ,which is now left there till they can reopen.Thats if they haven’t gone bankrupt by then to pay there house hold bills .So need money to keep them going to for the time being .
So every self employed person has all that do they ? You retard !
Not a very nice person are you? I’m self employed and never swindled anyone. I worked hard to support my family. One question , what do you do for a living? Probably a lazy bitter dole bum
What a vile person you are
Why is ventnor post office closed? They say they are following government guidelines but they clearly not. We have no post office or banking facilities in ventnor now so do the vulnerable or anyone now have to take a bus to other towns? Sort it out ventnor post office that’s not helping your community!
What about nannies Who are not au pairs ? Do they still have to work because at the moment I am going in and out of house holds as I am still being forced to work and it’s impossible to keep the distance .
What about large factories where worker are in large numbers and.less than 2.metres apart
….this is an accident waiting.to happen…they need.to.close.xx
Well doesn’t say on that list that construction has to stay open does it!?!
Doesn’t say they should close either
Touché
I am a chimney sweep and according to this I am told I can go in and sweep chimneys, but then told we must stay home. Too confusing….
An essential job, for fire is a risk to all.
Instead of using the front door, why not scale the outside of the dwelling and enter via the chimney itself, they can pay you through the letterbox wearing gloves?!
What about people who work in warehouses to provide non essential products to people where do we stand?? Can’t see a family member but can work with jo bloggs??
What about window cleaners they do not go in people houses they work alone
Non essential, and too many DO get to close to bored housewives in see through negligees
Grow up
I’m a mobile foot health practitioner can I still go into peoples houses( if they want me) to do their feet.? I cannot keep a 6 ft distance . But the above said chiropodist/ podiatrist can stay open
Can you not just give a plastic bag full of fish that eats your dead skin off of feet instead? Then flush them down the pan to minimise risk. (the fish, not the clients)
Karen, the following from The College of Podiatry (cop.org.uk)
“Following the Government’s announcement on 16 March, we want to advise independent/private practice members that as a medical service you can still continue to treat patients both in clinic and via home visits as long as universal precautions are used and advice is followed as per the government guidelines on our website.
We advise you to pre-screen patients and if they are symptomatic or are self-isolating due to being in contact with the virus, that you rearrange their appointment
It is down to your own individual risk assessment of your health to decide if you should be working or not as per government advice.”
I live with a view over the hospital and carriageway and I am totally amazed…. totally, that they are STILL working right outside the one place that needs to be kept as safe as possible for everyone’s sake.
When I approached a worker from a distance I might add he replied they don’t come under the government list if businesses that need to close, as they are counted as highway work.
I’m no rocket scientist, but I can see they don’t want to be there, but their bosses are keeping them there until told other wise. Total madness.
Also the buses are busy. The passengers ( and driver) are in a inclosed space. Are they cleaning down after every passenger gets off after holding hand rails etc…. course not.
Stay home everyone, and stay safe.