Businesses - COVID Guidance
We are committed to supporting local businesses with helpful and up to date information and in partnership with Visit Lincs Coast Destination BID.
**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.
. .The Food Standards Agency advice for a wide range of food businesses adapting to new ways of working. This guidance can be found here
We have produced a document that gives advice for small retailers on infection control, checklists and useful notices
We have produced a document giving advice on food safety for community meal providers and food banks here
and the Food Standards Agency has further informationThere 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
Myth Busting - Face Masks and Gloves
Track and Trace - What you need to know
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 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
Preventing the risk of Legionella during re-opening:
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.
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
Downloadable Posters for Printing
Social Distancing Posters in other languages
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