What does the Three- Tier Coronavirus System mean to you and your business

 

With the announcement of the new lockdown rules yesterday using the three-tier coronavirus restriction system we bring you an overview of what Boris said in his announcement and how it may affect you from Wednesday 14 October:

 

What is the new Three-Tier System?

 

Tier 1 – Medium

This will cover most of the country and will consist of the current national measures, this includes the and closing of hospitality businesses, such as bars and restaurants, at 10 o’clock.

 

Tier 2 – High

As some areas already have restrictions in place these restrictions reflects those, which prevents all mixing between households or support bubbles indoors.

The ‘rule of six‘ will apply outdoors. Areas that are already subject to local restrictions will automatically move into the high tier level.

 

Tier 3 – Very High

This will be applicable where transmission rates are rising most rapidly and where the NHS “could soon be under unbearable pressure without further intervention”. It prohibits social mixing indoors and outdoors, with the announcement of pubs and bars being closed too.

The only area to be affected at the moment are Local Authorities within the Liverpool city region, as such they will move into the ‘very high’ alert level from Wednesday 14 October. Pubs and bars will close, as will gyms and leisure centres, betting shops and casinos.

 

What Tier is my area in and how can I find out more?

There are 3 Tiers within which areas are in place as government locally and nationally seeks to tackle the threat of increasing Coronavirus infection levels, we have added links to your areas and the relevant Tiers below:

 

These 3 Tiers as of Tuesday 14 October 2020 are:

• Tier 1 = Medium Alert Level – All Local Authority areas in Cumbria, the details of which can be viewed here.
• Tier 2 = High Alert Level – This covers the Lancashire area, the details of which can be viewed here.
• Tier 3 = Very High Alert Level – The Liverpool City Region has been placed in this tier, meaning forced closures of some businesses, further details of what Tier 3 consists of can be viewed here

Update added 14/10/2020

 

Are there any other plans for further restrictions?

There may be further restrictions on the hospitality, leisure, entertainment and personal care sectors where necessary. The Government is working closely with Local Authorities across the country and more restrictions may be applied.

There are no plans to close Retail, schools and universities as such these will remain open.

 

How will businesses be supported?

Further to the announcement the government pledged to support businesses during this phase, however the majority of this support remains the same.

There are no changes to the Job Support Scheme (JSS) it will replace the CJRS to cover two-thirds of the wages of those working in any business that is required to close.

Any closed businesses will be provided with a cash grant of up to £3,000 per month, instead of £1,500 every 3 weeks.

Extra support will be provided to Local Authorities across England will get £1bn of new financial support on top of the £3.6bn Towns Fund.

For those areas with the ‘very high’ alert level, the government will provide further financial support for test and trace measures and enforcement.

Anyone will be able to look up their postcode on Gov.uk or on the NHS Covid-19 app to find out which local alert level applies in their area.

 

 

With all of this it leaves little doubt that many businesses will now face an uncertain time ahead, the same can be said for their Employees who will now receive even less in their pay packets as a result of these further measures.

 

We can help you

If you have been affected by the new restrictions or are concerned about any aspects of Covid, HR or Employment Law related matter please do not hesitate to get in touch, a member of our team can help you.

Updated 14 October 2020 in line with Tier level information release.