uk covid policies for businesses

UK Government COVID Policies for Businesses

Christmas 2020 was highly overshadowed by the COVID-19 measures. The idea of ‘Christmas bubbles’ formed between multiple households for 5 days was highly emphasized upon. However, the government allowed it for Christmas day and only for areas that weren’t included in tier 4. 

 

The whole idea of getting back to work/normal routine was further disturbed by the announcement of a third national lockdown in England. This was to begin on 6th January and expected to last before mid-February based on the number of cases or what impact it has. 

 

What About the Loan Schemes?

There were other announcements of support as well. Furlough scheme tops it all. On 5th January the chancellor broke the good news of an additional £4.6 billion. These included all sorts of businesses like retail, hospitality and the leisure sector. All these had been forced to close due to the pandemic. This comes in as a new one-off grant, based on the value of their non-domestic premises. These include: 

 

  • £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
  • £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
  • £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000

 

All these grants follow the same mechanics as other rate based grants. All these will be claimed by the local government rather than the central government. Consider all the businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as eligible. If you consider yourself eligible as per the eligibility criteria mentioned, you must stay up to date on all the recent happenings and also check when is the right time to apply. 

 

Know More About the Travel Restrictions Here

All the travel activities were suspended at 4 am on 18 January 2021. Anyone arriving outside the country needs to self-isolate themselves for a period of 10 days. It’s also important that the respective person gets a Covid test done before starting out their journey. This specifically applies to people arriving in England/Scotland/Ireland/Isle of Man/Channel Islands too. If you really really want to travel and haven’t got the test done, then a fine of £500 will be imposed on you. 

 

If you’re travelling to Wales, here’s all you need to know. Like Scotland and England, if you’re on the exempt list of Wales, you only need a negative test as evidence that you’re not a carrier. However, if you’re not from any of the countries on the exempt list, you need to stay in self-isolation for a couple of days. 

 

What is the Impact of Brexit on the Scheme?

Another key announcement is the Trade and Cooperation Agreement Reached by the EU and UK. This was announced on 24th December. We’re sure you’d be more interested in knowing the summary of the agreement. Shortly speaking, there are no tariffs on the goods coming in and going out from the EU or UK. The transitional period ended at 11 pm on 31st December 2020. Please make sure that you’re keeping up with the law changes on custom and trades. Dig into our resources to find out more. Here are all the details.

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