Businesses - COVID Guidance

**UPDATED Tuesday January 5, 2021**

National lock down restrictions will apply in England from January 4, 2021.

To reduce social contact and the rapid spread of COVID-19, the Government has ordered a National Lock Down and certain businesses and venues to CLOSE. These include:

Any business or venue that provides non-essential goods for sale or hire must close (other than where there is an explicit exemption for a specific purpose). They may continue offering delivery and click-and-collect services (where items are pre-ordered and collected without entering the premises). People can also leave home to collect or return orders from these businesses.

These venues can continue to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services -

• Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores
• Vehicle showrooms (other than for rental)
• Tailors
• Tobacco and vape shops
• Electronic goods and mobile phone shops
• Auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods.

All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery. The following must close -

• Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through.

Other businesses that must be closed are -

• Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone's main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes
• Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, sports courts,fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses.
• Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, water parks and theme parks
• Animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves)
• Indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open for outdoor exercise.
• Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people's homes
• Community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below. Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services - for example for people who do not have it at home - and for click-and-collect services
• Betting shops

Some of these businesses and places will be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities. A full list of exemptions can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

• education and training - for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities where that is part of their normal provision
• childcare purposes and supervised activities for those children eligible to attend
• hosting blood donation sessions and food banks
• to provide medical treatment
• for elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)
• for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)
• for the purposes of film and TV filming

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses and venues are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 secure guidelines. Businesses providing essential goods and services can stay open. The full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

• essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences
• market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
• businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
• petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
• banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
• funeral directors
• laundrettes and dry cleaners
• medical and dental services
• vets and retailers of products and food for the upkeep and welfare of animals
• animal rescue centres, boarding facilities and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)
• agricultural supplies shops
• mobility and disability support shops
• storage and distribution facilities
• car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas
• outdoor playgrounds
• outdoor parts of botanical gardens and heritage sites for exercise
• places of worship
• crematoriums and burial grounds

Food Businesses

• If you have diversified into meals/food delivery, here is some guidance on safe practices and hygiene.   an advice document [426.03KB].  We have also put together some guidance on social distancing for food retailers and takeaway food establishments [436.9KB].

• The Food Standards Agency advice for a wide range of food businesses adapting to new ways of working. This guidance can be found here

• Government advice for food businesses

• CIEH - Food delivery and takeaway guidance [662.07KB]

• We have produced a document that gives advice for small retailers on infection control, checklists and useful notices  Advice for small retailers during COVID-19 [554.79KB]

• We have produced a document giving advice on food safety for community meal providers and food banks  Food Safety for Community Cooking and Food Banks [17.49KB] and the Food Standards Agency has further information here

  There is also a registration form here if the meal provision and food banks become more regular.

• Here is a leaflet full of information on general advice for businesses during COVID-19  General Advice to Businesses May 2020 [568.23KB]

• Myth Busting - Face Masks and Gloves  Face Masks Gloves - Myth Busters [517.81KB]

• Track and Trace - What you need to know  The Who What Why and How of Contact Tracing [427.19KB]

Hospitality Businesses

Hospitality venues like restaurants, bars and pubs must remain closed from January 4, 2021, but can still provide takeaway and delivery services. However, takeaway of alcohol will not be allowed.

Restaurants, Pubs, Bars, Takeaway - keeping workers and customers safe assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5eb96e8e86650c278b077616/Keeping-workers-and-customers-safe-during-covid-19-restaurants-pubs-bars-takeaways-230620.pdf

Hotels and other Guest Accommodation - detailed advice www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/hotels-and-other-guest-accommodation

Industry leaders UK Hospitality have a range of advice and information available on their website. They have also published comprehensive advice for hospitality businesses on how to be Covid-19 secure [1.21MB] which includes example risk assessments and sector specific guidance.

Close Contact Services

Government have instructed these close contact services will close from January 4, 2021, including hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattooists, sports and massage therapists, dress fitters, tailors and fashion designers.

These venues may continue to sell retail goods (such as shampoo or beauty products) online or via click-and-collect.

Those who provide personal care services from a mobile setting including their own home, in other people's homes and in retail environments (such as a concession in a larger, separate business) must also stop operating.

Alcohol Sales Advice

Off Licence premises are classed as essential and will therefore remain open.

Drinking Water and Water Quality

Drinking Water advice

Preventing the risk of Legionella during re-opening:  Safe Water Advice [1.24MB]  Legionella - advice on minimising the risk during COVID19 lockdown [111.03KB]

Animal related businesses

Advice from the Canine and Feline Sector Group here

Dog Groomers -  are able to remain open for the purposes of dog welfare during the current lockdown.
Businesses must ensure they have a robust, covid secure risk assessment in place to ensure socially distanced drop off and collection.
Walking someone else's dog CFSG [320.12KB] guidance from the Canine and Feline Sector Group 

Riding Establishments

Riding Centres must close.

Taxi and Private Hire Operators

An update for all Taxi and Private Hire Operators 

Playgrounds and Outdoor Gyms

The latest guidance and advice for safely managing playgrounds and outdoor gyms.

Swimming Pool Operators

Government have instructed indoor and outdoor swimming pools to close from January 4, 2021.

Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

A Toolkit for Businesses Reopening
(Government links)

• Working safely during Coronoavirus tool here

• Restarting your business safely

• Managing risks

• Risk Assessment Template [645.52KB]

• Health and Safety Policy

• Health and Safety Toolbox

• Advice for small businesses and self-employed

• Downloadable Posters for Printing

• Staying COVID19 secure Poster [364.05KB] 
  Please use hand sanitiser before entering Poster [116.28KB] 
  Social distancing Poster [31.58KB] 
  Keep Your Distance Poster [55.3KB] 
  Follow the arrow this way LEFT Poster [34.72KB] 
  Follow the arrow this way RIGHT Poster [34.72KB] 
  Follow the arrow this way STRAIGHT AHEAD Poster [34.76KB]
  Queuing Poster [247.66KB] 
  Wait at Till Poster [37.37KB]

• Social Distancing Posters in other languages
  Latvian Social Distancing [57.64KB]  Portugese social distancing messaging [57.26KB]  Romanian Social Distancing [56.81KB]  RUssian Social distancing [60.53KB]  Lithuanian Social Distancing Poster [57.88KB]

Shopping Safely

If you are visiting business premises, it's important to follow the guidelines they have in place to ensure you stay safe, here are some of the ways shopping will be different www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing.

Business Support is one of the four key values championed by Lincs Coast Destination BID and have a number of resources available for local businesses to help and support in reopening and keeping staff and customers safe.

If you would like any of these resources for your business, please email

Pavement Licenses

The Business and Planning Act 2020 has been enacted by the Government in an attempt to restart the British economy due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Act has introduced a range of new measures to help businesses to quickly adjust and adapt to the 'new normal'. The Act has introduced a new Pavement Cafe Licensing regime.

If a pub, bar, restaurant or cafe would like to have seating for customers outside of their property and on a public highway then they must have a licence to do so. A public highway includes roads, pavements and verges.

How to Apply

This Council has delegated this new licensing function to Lincolnshire County Council. With this in mind anybody wishing to apply for a Pavement Cafe Licence is directed to Lincolnshire County Council https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/licences-permits/apply-street-cafe-stall-licence