Amidst rising numbers of infections, the UK government has, today, made an announcement in relation to new Coronavirus restrictions.

Key highlights of the new restrictions

• employees who can work from home should do so;
• restaurants, bars and pubs must operate a table service only and must close at 10pm each day from 24 September 2020;
• retail and hospitality staff will be required to wear face coverings;
• retail, leisure and hospitality businesses are now legally required to ensure that their premises are COVID secure;
• conferences and sporting events will not re-open from the beginning of October, as previously planned; and
• tighter penalties will be applied, including fines of up to £10,000 for businesses which break COVID rules.

The above restrictions are anticipated to continue in place for the next 6 months.

Implications for employers

• Plans to bring employees back to the office will need to be reconsidered in light of this announcement.
• Employers operating in the leisure and hospitality sector will need to be mindful of the need to make changes to working hours and shift patterns.
• These restrictions, combined with the cessation of the furlough scheme at the end of October 2020, may mean that employers will need to consider whether redundancies are necessary.

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