Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin - 14 July 2020

This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All coronavirus business support information can be found at gov.uk/business-support

• Register your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme
• Mandatory face coverings in shops
• FREE Online webinar: Digital security following Covid-19 and keeping your business secure online
• How to dispose of your business waste, including face coverings and PPE
• New Updates and Guidance
• UK Transition
• Requests for Business Intelligence and Assistance

Register your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme

Restaurants and other establishments serving food for on-premises consumption can now register for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme. You can register if your establishment:

• sells food for immediate consumption on the premises
• provides its own dining area or shares a dining area with another establishment for eat-in meals
• was registered as a food business with the relevant local authority on or before 7 July.

Posters, images and other promotional materials for use by establishments who are taking part in the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme are available here.

Mandatory face coverings in shops

The Government has announced that face coverings will be mandatory from 24 July when shopping.  This is to protect those who work in shops and to give people more confidence to shop safely. Those who do not wear a face covering in shops will face a fine of up to £100. Shops can refuse entry to someone not wearing a face covering and can call the police if someone fails to comply. You can make face-coverings at home. The key thing is it should cover the mouth and nose. Further guidance for business will be available on GOV.UK soon.

FREE Online webinar: Digital security following Covid-19 and keeping your business secure online

Join a free webinar on Wednesday 22 July at 11am to find out more about the most common cyber threats faced by businesses and how to mitigate being the victim of a cyber incident. A representative from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will provide an overview of the cyber security risks facing businesses during and after COVID-19, as well as a look at the range of resources freely available from the NCSC for businesses. Please register here.

How to dispose of your business waste, including face coverings and PPE

• Provide extra bins for your staff and customers to throw away their waste face coverings and PPE used for social distancing, and any other additional waste, such as takeaway packaging and disposable tableware.
• Make sure that staff and customers do not put face coverings and PPE in a recycling bin as they cannot be recycled through conventional recycling facilities.
• Make sure bins are emptied often so they do not overflow and create litter.
• You can put used disposable face coverings and PPE in an ‘offensive waste’ collection (yellow bags with a black stripe), if you have one.
• Ask your waste contractor if there is anything else you need to do.

Find out more here.

New Updates and Guidance

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS): A number of updates have been made to guidance on the CJRS:

• New guidance has been published on claiming for individuals who are paid through PAYE but not necessarily employees in employment law.
• Guidance on calculating how much you can claim has been updated with information on claim periods ending on or before 31 August 2020.
• Information has been added to clarify that employers can continue to claim for employees while they are serving a statutory notice period.
• Information has been added about the process HMRC is developing to recover overclaimed grant amounts through the tax system.

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

The scheme is now closed for the first grant. The scheme allows you to claim a second and final taxable grant. You can make a claim for the second grant if you are eligible, even if you did not make a claim for the first grant. Find out more here.

A number of updates have been made to the scheme guidance:

• New guidance has been published if you have been overpaid, made a claim in error and were not eligible for the grant or would like to make a voluntary repayment.
• Guidance on how HMRC works out trading profits and non-trading income has been updated to include that losses are not included in your non-trading calculation.
• Guidance on how different circumstances affect the scheme has been updated to include what supporting evidence you may be asked for if having a new child affected the trading profits you reported for the tax year 2018 to 2019.

Working safely during coronavirus

• New guidance on organising outdoor sport and physical activity events has been added.
• Guidance for providers of out-of-school and holiday activities for children has been updated.

Providing apprenticeships during the coronavirus outbreak

Guidance has been updated to confirm that from 13 July 2020 providers can welcome back 19+ apprentices into educational settings, that the flexibility to suspend level 2 functional skills for level 2 apprentices has been extended, and to provide more information on support for redundant apprentices.

UK Transition

The UK has left the EU, and the transition period comes to an end on 31 December 2020. Business need to act now to get ready for new rules that will come into force from 1 January 2021. To receive updates on the latest information for businesses, subscribe for free to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s sister Transition Bulletin by updating your bulletin preference here.

The UK Government has launched a major new Transition public information campaign called “The UK’s new start: let’s get going” to give everyone the facts that they will need to be ready for 1 January 2021. A straightforward checker tool at gov.uk/transition will quickly identify the specific steps any business or individual needs to take to be ready.  

The government has also announced:

• Controls will be placed on the movement of goods between Great Britain and the EU, with new border controls being introduced in three stages up until 1 July 2021. Details can be found in the Border Operating Model.
• Further details on the new points-based immigration system from 1 January 2021.

Requests for Business Intelligence and Assistance

Offer coronavirus support

Tell us how your business might be able to help with the response to coronavirus by using our online service.

Share the impact coronavirus is having on your organisation 

Let us know how the outbreak is impacting your business.  Please send your intelligence, including information and feedback on the safer workplace guidance, to intel@beis.gov.uk. Commercially sensitive information will be treated accordingly.  Please note that this inbox is only for receiving intelligence and does not provide business advice.  

Help us shine a light on the stories of key workers 

Tell us about key workers you know that are helping to keep the UK moving during the Coronavirus pandemic. Please fill in this online form for key workers in the following sectors: manufacturing, construction, consumer goods, scientists/researchers, servicing, postal workers, and  oil/gas/electricity/water/sewage/chemical workers. 

Other useful links

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 

You are receiving this bulletin because you have previously subscribed to this bulletin, the Industrial Strategy Bulletin or the Business Readiness Bulletin. Update your subscription preferences.  If you have been forwarded this bulletin, you can subscribe to receive them directly. After adding your email address click add subscriptions, tick the Coronavirus bulletin box and then click next.