22 Oct 2021

COVID Update – Step 4 from 19th July 2021 and into Autumn & Winter 2021/22

Supporting the NHS & Staying Safe

England moves to step 4 from 19th July 2021.

Having carefully considered all of the available and current information, completed the required Risk Assessment, consulted with staff, received feedback from guests and in order to continue to protect all and support the NHS at Mill Meadow we have decided to continue with many of the Covid Secure procedures that we had in place and that have thus far been successful in reducing the risks to staff, guests and visitors.

 

Maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors to support NHS Test and Trace

Venues in certain sectors should continue to ask customers, visitors and staff to ‘check in’, to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)

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 Government has published new guidance on moving to step 4 of the roadmap for England that outlines the key protections that will remain in place, the pathway through the summer and the five-point plan to manage the virus in the next phase.
At step 4, while many of the legal restrictions that the Government has imposed through the pandemic will be lifted, cautious guidance will remain, making it clear this is not yet a return to normal. The Government will continue to manage the virus and provide guidance over the coming months.

 

Hotels and guest accommodation

The guidance has been updated to help owners and operators of hotels and other guest accommodation facilities (including hotels, motels, inn, pubs, holiday parks, B&Bs, short term lets, guest houses, caravans, boats, camp sites etc.) to help keep their customers safe, including information on

  • communicating safety measures,
  • displaying the NHS QR code,
  • identifying areas of risk,
  • considerations to avoid congestion,
  • processes for guests who have to quarantine
  • and practical information on cleaning, hygiene and ventilation

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).

1. Complete a health and safety risk assessment that includes risks from COVID-19. This should consider the points below in the rest of this guidance. It should also take into account any reasonable adjustments needed for staff and customers with disabilities. You should share your risk assessment with your staff. You can find more information in the section on risk assessments and HSE guidance.

2. Turn people with COVID-19 symptoms away. Staff members or customers should self-isolate if they or someone in their household has a new, persistent cough; a high temperature; or loses/has changes to their sense of taste or smell, even if these symptoms are mild. They must also self-isolate if they or someone in their household has had a positive COVID-19 result, or if they have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace. If you know that a worker is self-isolating, you must not ask or make them come to work.

3. Provide adequate ventilation. You should make sure there is a supply of fresh air to enclosed spaces where there are people present. This can be natural ventilation through windows, doors and vents, mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts, or a combination of both. You should identify any poorly ventilated spaces in your premises and consider steps you can take to improve fresh air flow in these areas. In some places, a CO2 monitor can help identify if the space is poorly ventilated. Heritage locations should take into account the preservation of the building or artefacts displayed. You can find more information in the on section on ventilation and the HSE guidance on ventilation and air conditioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Clean more often. Increase how often you clean surfaces, especially those that are touched a lot. Heritage locations should ensure cleaning materials and schedules are appropriate for historic surfaces and materials. You should ask your staff and customers to use hand sanitiser and clean their hands frequently, and provide them with advice to promote good hygiene.

5. Enable people to check in at your venue. You are no longer legally required to collect contact details, however doing so will help to support NHS Test and Trace to reduce the spread of the virus. You can enable people to check in by providing an NHS QR code poster, though you do not have to ask customers to check in or turn them away if they refuse. If you display an NHS QR code, you should also have a system to collect (and securely store) names and contact details for those who ask to check in but do not have the app.

6. Communicate and train. Keep all your workers, contractors and visitors up-to-date on how you’re using and updating safety measures.

Mill Meadow is committed to supporting the provisions under this 6 Step Process and we thank ours staff, guests and all visitors for their support in doing so and helping to minimise the risk to all at Mill Meadow.

 

Chris Heayns

General Manager

22.10.21

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