Supporting the NHS & Staying Safe

Establishments in the following sectors should encourage attendees to check in and maintain records of staff, customers and visitors who choose to provide their contact details:

• hospitality, including pubs, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and cafes
• tourism and leisure, including theatres, museums and cinemas
• close contact services
• places of worship
• facilities provided by local authorities such as libraries and community centres

The UK government published the ‘COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021’, setting out the details of Step 4 of the COVID-19 roadmap in England.

How the changes have been addressed at Mill Meadow at step 4:

• All remaining limits on social contact (currently 6 people or 2 households indoors, or 30 people outdoors) have been removed and there are no more restrictions on how many people can meet in any setting, indoors or outdoors.

This amendment now applies at Mill Meadow, subject to our Terms & Conditions.

• COVID-status certification will not be required in law as a condition of entry for visitors to any setting. Organisations can choose to ask visitors for proof of COVID-status, as long as they meet existing legal obligations including under equality law. The Government is providing a way for individuals to easily demonstrate their COVID-status. This can be achieved by completion of a full vaccine course, a recent negative test, or proof of natural immunity – through the NHS COVID Pass on the NHS app.

Mill Meadow does not normally require proof of vaccination or a negative test. Our existing Covid Declaration will need to be completed although the lead guest can complete this on behalf of all guests in their party.

• The legal requirements to wear a face covering will be lifted in all settings. Guidance will advise that wearing a face covering will reduce personal risk and the risk to others, when coming into contact with people you don’t normally meet in enclosed and crowded spaces.

Mill Meadow staff continue to wear face coverings under the Covid Secure procedures and continue to follow the Covid Secure procedures we have in place to reduce the risk to themselves, colleagues and guests.

• Social distancing rules (2 metres or 1 metre with additional mitigations) will be lifted. Social distancing will only be required in limited circumstances: ports of entry for passengers between disembarkation and border control in order to manage the risk of Variants of Concern being transmitted between individuals; and people who are self-isolating should also continue to socially distance from others, particularly where they have had a positive test.

Mill Meadow staff, guests and all other visitors are required to declare that they are not under any current requirement to self-isolate when visiting Mill Meadow

• Regulations that place COVID-secure requirements on businesses, including table service, and distancing between tables, will be lifted. ‘Working Safely’ guidance will be updated to provide examples of sensible precautions that employers can take to reduce risk in their workplaces. Employers should take account of this guidance in preparing the risk assessments they are already required to make under pre-pandemic health and safety rules.
• Businesses must not require a self-isolating worker to come to work, and should make sure that workers and customers who feel unwell do not attend the setting.

Mill Meadow continues with existing practices to reduce the risk to staff, guests and visitors.

• Businesses will be encouraged to ask staff and customers to clean their hands regularly and clean surfaces that people touch regularly. The Government will provide guidance on how businesses can reduce unnecessary contact in the workplace, where it is practical.

Mill Meadow continues to provide for this under our existing procedures.

• Businesses will be encouraged to display QR codes for customers to check in using the NHS COVID-19 app, to support NHS Test and Trace, although it will no longer be a legal requirement.

We continue to display the QR codes for the Mill Meadow site and individual lodges.

Building on the updated guidance on meeting friends and family, announced as part of step 3, the Government will provide advisory guidance on how people can manage the risks to themselves and to others, including:

• Meeting in well-ventilated areas where possible, such as outdoors or indoors with windows open.
• Wearing a face covering where they come into contact with people they don’t normally meet in enclosed and crowded spaces.
• Washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day.
• Staying at home if unwell, to reduce the risk of passing on other illnesses onto friends, family, colleagues, and others in your community.
• Considering individual risks, such as clinical vulnerabilities and vaccination status.
• The Government will continue to urge people to get vaccinated, and to self-isolate and get tested if they have symptoms. It will remain a legal requirement for people to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to do so by NHS Test and Trace. The public will continue to be encouraged to download and use the latest version of the NHS COVID-19 app to help reduce the spread of the virus.

The Government intends to exempt people who have been fully vaccinated from the requirement to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case, with a similar exemption for under 18s. Anyone who tests positive will still need to self-isolate regardless of their vaccination status.

More on the Government Guidance on moving to step 4

The Working Safely during coronavirus guidance for England has been updated to reflect the changes from step 4. Please see a summary of contents of the guidance below:

Priority actions to take: Six steps to protect yourself, your staff and your customers during coronavirus (COVID-19).