At 8pm this Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation with a raft of new lockdown restrictions which will affect our lives. There is a warning that the new lockdown restrictions could last for six months, these are not short term measures and if they don’t work then more severe restrictions could be imposed. It would now appear highly unlikely that families will be congregating in each other’s houses this Christmas.
A raft of new measures will be announced, but thanks to the requirement to report to Parliamentarians before announcing to the Nation, we already know what is going to be announced today.
First and foremost, the ‘back to the office’ message is being scrapped and once again workers are encouraged to work from home where ever possible. Obviously there are many jobs which can’t be done at home, not the least packing ecommerce orders, and it is expected that if you can’t work from home that you do go to work.
Similarly, schools and places of worship will remain open, but if you were planning a slimmed down wedding with 30 guests that limit has now been cut to just 15 allowed to attend. However up to 30 can still attend funerals.
If you have a retail operation, shop staff will now be obliged to wear face masks. So will passengers in taxis and consumers in pubs, bars and restaurants except once they are seated and it will be table service only. Pubs, bars and restaurants will also be required to shut at 10pm under the new lockdown restrictions and that means locking the door, not last orders.
Indoor team sports have been banned in England and all plans to allow spectators back into sports stadiums have been postponed. Similarly, if you were hoping to attend an ecommerce conference any time soon, they too have been banned. With a potential six month period for the new lockdown restrictions, it’s unlikely any in-person ecommerce industry events will take place before April 2021 at the very earliest.
COVID-19 Secure guidelines for businesses will now become legal obligations – businesses will be fined £10,000 and could be closed if they break them. You can check out the main COVID-19 Secure guidelines for warehouses here.
For everyone in England, the fine for not wearing a face mask where it is required, or for meeting in groups larger than allowed, will be doubled from £100 for a first offence to £200 and doubling for repeat offences up to £3,200.
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I guess that means no Spring Fair in February then!