Coronavirus Information Hub

This week’s Covid-19 update captures the summary of the announcements yesterday on easing lockdown and more information for food companies in the event of an outbreak in the business.

General overview – new restrictions, outbreaks and travel warnings

There is every sense that we are at a particularly tense point in the outbreak.  The resurgence of the virus in parts of the Far East and, closer to home, across Spain and France raises the very real prospect of a resurgence in the UK.  The past few weeks have seen a gradual unwinding of restrictions in all parts of the UK.  Today though, the UK Government has put a stop to planned relaxations relating to indoor venues and events, due to come into effect from tomorrow (Saturday).  In addition, localised restrictions are now in force across Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire.  The Scottish Government is now urging people to avoid travel from Scotland to these areas unless absolutely essential.  You can find a list of areas under local restriction here.

Next phase of changes in Scotland

Yesterday (Thursday), the First Minister set out indicative dates for the next phase of easing lockdown.  These include a restricted restart for outdoor events from 24 August and indoor events from 14 September.  These are all still subject to further reviews.  You’ll see the latest indicative dates on page 6 of the document here.

Given the halt to planned re-openings in England announced today and the risk of new clusters in Scotland, these dates are open to change at very short notice.  The desire to get schools back in full in Scotland from 18 August (with pupils beginning their return from w/c 11 August) is also likely to shape a cautious approach to the next phases of easing lockdown across the country.

What to do if you have an outbreak in the business?

Food Standards Scotland has issued further helpful guidance on what to do if an outbreak or cluster of Covid-19 cases is suspected in a food business.  A new section in the guidance (on page 25) covers who to contact and how it will be investigated, alongside additional information on employer obligations with regard to ‘Test and Protect’.  It is worth reading this to prepare should an outbreak situation arise in your business.

We will keep these updates coming to you weekly for the time being. However, with the situation starting to change a little more rapidly in terms of restrictions, please keep an eye on our Twitter feed for any up to the minute changes (@scotfooddrink).

As always, feel free to share this update widely and get in touch with us at any time via info@foodanddrink.scot

Thanks all
James Withers

Covid-19 - Guidance for food business operators and their employees (Updated 14 July)

Food Standards Scotland has developed guidance by outlining ways that physical (social) distancing can be applied in food manufacturing and processing premises, as well as other mitigation measures that can be implemented by these businesses to enable them to adhere to government advice for preventing the spread of Covid-19. 

The guidance for food business operators (FBOs) and their employees aims to assist all businesses in the food and drink sector in following government guidance on infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19. It has been produced with input from the food industry and Trade Unions and reflects the most up to date advice from Scottish and UK Government and Health Protection Scotland. 

Click here to read the full guidance. 

The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, chaired by Benny Higgins, published its report at lunchtime today (22 June). A brief summary of the 25 recommendations can be found here and the full report is available here.

This week there have been a few developments to be aware of. There are also some announcements scheduled for next week that may lead to a further re-opening of the foodservice sector.

Next steps in phase 3 of easing lockdown

Whilst the further re-opening of hospitality – including indoor and outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants – has been welcome, the events sector remains mostly locked down. The restart of the events is also built into phase 3 but the current assumption has been that there will be no restart before 31 July.  We are expecting further information on the remaining elements of phase 3 next Thursday (30 July). Given people can now gather for food and drink inside and outside of pubs, the hope is that small events, with distancing, may get the greenlight very shortly. Keep an eye on next Thursday’s Scottish Government briefing for more information. We’ll provide a summary in next Friday’s update.

Furlough scheme changes

Changes are being implemented monthly under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. A reminder that there is a calculator available on the HMRC website to help you calculate what is claimable. You will find that here (which also connects to the other rules around the scheme).

Registration for the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ Scheme

The new UK Government scheme which will provide for a 50% discount on food sales in eateries will start on 3 August (and run until 31 August). If you have a hospitality side to your business which serves food and you want to offer this discount to customers, you need to register your premises for the scheme. You can do that here.

The scheme is open to a wide variety of establishments that serve food in-house. However, it isn’t open to those just doing takeaway nor mobile food facilities.

Food and drink recovery plan

Just by way of a quick update, a lot of Scotland Food & Drink work is ongoing with our industry partners and Scottish Government on the sector’s recovery plan. There is ambitious thinking around new investments in market recovery and business development projects. A key part of the thinking is also around preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period.  We’ll update you all as this progresses.

As always, you can contact us as any time via info@foodanddrink.scot if you have any Covid-19 related questions or concerns, or indeed if there is anything else you need support or information on.

Thanks all

James Withers

This week’s update includes details on the updated guidance from Food Standards Scotland issued earlier in the week as well as a couple of other useful guidance documents for those operating a hospitality or tourism business. We continue to keep our Twitter feed (@scotfooddrink) and online Coronavirus Hub up to date with the latest developments as they happen. 

Updated guidance for food business operators and their employees  

Food Standards Scotland has updated their guidance for food and drink manufacturers to reflect recent changes. Following reports of outbreaks of Covid-19 in food production facilities in the UK and Europe, the updated guidance further emphasises the need to consider physical distancing and hygiene measures for employees in shared spaces out with the working environment, including staff accommodation, transport facilities and communal areas such as canteens, rest rooms and smoking areas.  

The guidance has also been updated to include the new measures that apply to pubs and restaurants. It provides details of appropriate risk mitigation measures that should be applied to businesses who wish to be exempt from the 2 metre physical distancing rule permitted for hospitality and retail.  

Click here to read the full guidance.  

Further guidance for re-opening of indoor hospitality and tourism

On Wednesday (15 July) indoor restaurants, cafes and pubs as well as accommodation providers and tourist venues were permitted to open with new safety measure in place. The latest guidance from the Scottish Government for hospitality and tourism businesses was updated earlier in the week and can be found here. Information has also been released for the general public to provide more details about the changes they can expect.  

A reminder of the Phase 3 route map can be found here.  

Test and Protect 

The First Minister has stressed again this week the importance of collecting contact details from customers or visitors to support the Test and Protect strategy. The gathering of this information is designed to assist NHS Scotland to identify and contact individuals who may have been exposed to the virus, and request them to take appropriate steps to prevent the potential onward spread. To provide further clarity for businesses, the Scottish Government has issued multi-sector guidance here.  

Finally, two other updates to note. Guidance to help small and micro businesses re-open safely has been published here, and HMRC has issued a reminder that Self-Assessment taxpayers can automatically defer their July payment on account. To make this as hassle-free as possible customers will not need to contact HMRC to defer their payment  - they opt into the deferral by simply not paying their tax bill due by 31 July 2020. More information here. 

If you need to contact us at any point during the week please do so via info@foodanddrink.scot 

Thanks 

Lucy Husband
Market Development & Business Engagement Director 

There have been some significant updates from both UK and Scottish governments this week, including the First Minister granting the green light for Scotland to move into Phase 3 of the exit from lockdown. A summary of this plus other key updates can be found below.

As always, we are keeping our Twitter feed up to date with the latest developments as they happen (@scotfooddrink). 

5pm deadline for range of COVID-19 support funds

Today is the deadline for submitting applications to local authorities for the Small Business Support Grant and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant. Your local council must receive your application before 5pm on Friday 10 July. Details here.

Chancellor’s Summer statement mini-budget announcement

On Wednesday afternoon, the Chancellor set out the next wave of support aimed at minimising the economic impact caused by COVID-19. Some measures directly affect Scotland with additional spending allocated to the Scottish Government.

• VAT cuts- a reduction from 20% to 5% runs from next Wednesday to 12 January on food, accommodation and attractions
• ‘Eat out to help out’ –scheme for August, giving a discount to people eating at cafes, restaurants and pubs. Businesses have to register (here) and can claim back the funds, with the promise of funds in their bank accounts within five days of filing a claim
• Coronavirus Job Retention 'Bonus' Scheme –it was confirmed that the Furlough scheme will end in October. However, a ‘bonus’ scheme was announced that will see employers who keep staff in employment from November to January 2021 receive a one-off payment of £1,000 per employee. An employee must earn a minimum of £520 per month to qualify.
• Kickstart jobs for young people -The KickStart scheme will subsidise six-month work placements, paying 25 hours a week, for young people aged between 18-25

Entering Phase 3 of unwinding lockdown

The First Minister announced yesterday (9 July) that Scotland is entering the third phase of the route map, confirming that from next Wednesday (15 July) indoor restaurants, cafes and pubs will be able to re-open. The latest guidance for hospitality and tourism can be found here. More details on how they can operate safely indoors is expected soon, including more details about the mandatory collection of contact details to support ‘Test and Protect’.

Further details about the move to Phase 3 can be found here.

Updated FSS guidance for food and drink manufacturers to be published early next week

With the move to Phase 3 and further re-opening of hospitality and tourism sectors, the updated guidance for food and drink manufacturers from Food Standards Scotland will be issued early next week. This update should factor in all of the changes and differences outlined over the last few weeks that apply across the sector, including details on the exemptions to the 2 metre rule for retail and hospitality. It also takes into account revised guidance for manufacturers issued by the Scottish Government and updated on 7 July (see here) and reiterates the importance of physical distancing in communal areas. We will put the revised guidance on the Scotland Food & Drink Coronavirus Hub as soon as it is published. 

As always, if you need to contact us at any point before next Friday’s update, please do so via info@foodanddrink.scot

Thanks 

Graham Young
Industry Development Director

There have been further developments in the timeline of easing Coronavirus restrictions this week, which will increase demand in the foodservice sector. News on that and other key issues are below. A reminder too that we are doing a weekly Covid-19 email update now, every Friday. However, keep an eye on our twitter channel for any daily news or changes (@scotfooddrink). 

Latest dates for easing lockdown

The First Minister confirmed a number of scheduled changes yesterday. The summary is as follows:

Friday 3 July (today)

• ‘Self-contained’ accommodation can re-open (holiday cottages, lodges, caravans without shared facilities)
• Travel beyond five miles for leisure is now permissible, except if you live in the following postcodes: DG1, DG2, DG11, DG12, DG13, DG14 and DG16

Monday 6 July

• Outdoor hospitality can re-open (beer gardens, pavement eateries etc), subject to the 2 metre rule. However, see below for future exemptions on the 2 metre rule.

Friday 10 July

• Wearing face coverings becomes mandatory in shops

Monday 15 July

• Targeted date for re-opening all other accommodation and the indoor areas of hospitality, subject to physical distancing.

New, planned exemptions from the two metre rule

The general advice on physical distancing in Scotland is to maintain 2 metres between individuals from other households. However, as Scotland moves into Phase 3 (hopefully from Friday 10 July), some limited exemptions for hospitality, retail and public transport will allow a reduction to 1 metre distancing.  However, this reductions will be on the strict condition that other mitigation measures are put in place. The kinds of measures that will need to be put in place might include perspex screens, managing customer flows, seating plans etc. Fuller guidance will be issued in time, but you can see some more detail on requirements that would have to be met to use the exemption here.

If you want to see the official scientific advice to government on the 2 metre rule and exemptions, you’ll find it here.

Guidance for food and drink manufacturers – more coming next week

With the further re-opening of hospitality and the new exemptions to the 2 metre rule, Food Standards Scotland is expected to issue revised guidance next week. The guidance covers manufacturing and it will emphasise some important elements in light of the Covid-19 outbreaks amongst the workforce in some meat processing facilities in England and Wales. In particular, it will reiterate the importance of protection measures (physical distancing) in communal areas, off the factory floor. In particular, canteens, changing rooms and smoking areas are all higher risk areas for disease transmission so they need particular attention. We’ll put the revised guidance on the Scotland Food & Drink Coronavirus Hub as soon as it is published. The current guidance is here.

Summary of measures taken to support the food and drink sector

Obviously, there has been an enormous amount of work put in across the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership (Scottish Government, public sector agencies and industry organisations) over the last four months to respond to the crisis and support business. A short summary has been put together by Scottish Government of measures put in place as a reference guide. You’ll find it here.

As always, if you need to contact us at any point before next Friday’s update, please do so via info@foodanddrink.scot

Thanks all

James Withers

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