Tag Archive for Coronavirus

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Government pushes back opening shops until June 15

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Non-essential high street shops, department stores and shopping centres won’t be opening until June 15, according to the Prime Minister.
In his announcement last night (May 25), Boris Johnson also said that outdoor markets and car showrooms will be able to open no earlier than June 1 as long as they have social distancing measures in place.
>See also: What is the average cost of fitting out my shop for coronavirus?
Non-essential outlets include:

Clothes and shoe shops
Toy shops
Furniture shops
Auction houses
Tailors
Photography studios

The Prime Minister said he was putting the retail sector “on notice”, with new safety guidance in the process of being published. This gives stores three weeks to introduce measures which will protect customers who may be feeling uneasy about shopping post-lockdown.
As with stores that have been open during lockdown, businesses will be encouraged to put up signs reinforcing social distancing rules and local authorities will be doing spot checks.
Customers will be encouraged to use hand sanitiser and to avoid touching items while they’re browsing. Fitting rooms will be shut and stores will be required to hold returned stock for 72 hours before putting it back on sale. There will also be protective coverings on items

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How to reopen your restaurant, pub or hotel post-lockdown

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
UKHospitality has set out draft recommendations for how hospitality businesses should operate post-lockdown.
For example, sauces should be removed from eateries and replaced with individually wrapped condiments. Meanwhile, in pubs, people will be discouraged from standing at the bar.
Hotel buffets will also be off the table, at least in the short term, according to a 75-page document from the industry body.
UKHospitality stresses that you must do a thorough risk assessment before reopening to show that you are taking adequate steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Specific guidelines for hotels, pubs/bars and restaurants are set out below.
Hotels, accommodation and hostels

If staff help guests with luggage, keep the required distance apart from guests whilst collecting luggage and either take it to the room before the guest arrives there or knock on the door, step back and leave the luggage at the door. After handling luggage, staff should wash their hands or use a hand sanitiser.
Room service: consider using trays which can be left off the floor next to the door, or think of other ways to protect the order, for example a small light table, or a folding luggage rack both of which have been disinfected

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Coronavirus small business diary – Alessandro Savelli, Pasta Evangelists

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Alessandro Savelli founded Pasta Evangelists, a home delivery service for fresh Italian pasta dishes in 2017, because he felt that pasta in Britain was still relegated to hard, mass-produced spaghetti on supermarket shelves and jars of pesto.
Based in Hoxton, East London, Pasta Evangelists employs around 25 full-time staff in its office and another 60 or so in production, preparing and packaging the pasta boxes. The start-up has an outlet in the world-famous Harrods food hall and a concession in M&S in Southampton.
Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Pasta Evangelists has seen demand for its home-cook pasta boxes more than quadruple and currently the business is shipping out around 12,000 orders a week.
24th February
It’s a rainy Monday morning in late February. I’m at home feeding my son Daniele his breakfast when my phone rings.
“You need to think about increasing your production – fast,” says the voice on the line.
It is my father calling from his mountain village in the Aosta Valley. Italy has just seen its first major surge in coronavirus cases and the Italian government has declared much of the north a “red zone”, locking down 11 towns across Lombardy

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Minority-owned salons given access to funding during COVID-19

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Originally written by DiversityQ on Small Business
As part of their global Community Commerce business model, SheaMoisture UK has launched a £40,000 fund to support UK minority-owned salons to survive COVID-19, as reports show that minority ethnic communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
The move comes after the success of the 1 Million Dollar Community Commerce Fund that was launched in April to support minority businesses in the USA.
How the fund works
The SheaMoisture UK Community Commerce Salon Relief Fund will gift three grants of £10,000 to three separate minority-owned salons, and five grants of £2,000 to five different salon owners. The grants will be allocated based on how their business supports the local community, how the funds will benefit their staff and business, and if they can demonstrate that they have positively adapted to COVID-19. This includes moving elements of their business online, donating to local hygiene banks or more.
From 18th May – 31st May 2020, minority-owned salons are being encouraged to enter the fund via social media at SheaMoisture UK’s Instagram page @SheaMoistureUK, and via this survey.
Winners of the fund will be selected by an expert judging panel comprising, editorial and celebrity Hairstylist Stefan Bertin, entrepreneur and founder of Treasure Tress, Jamelia Donaldson and natural hair

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Protecting employees’ payroll during the coronavirus crisis

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Originally written by Matthew Stark on Small Business
It is very rare that you will get advance warning that a disaster is about to hit your company.
Even if you do have some time to plan, it doesn’t mean things won’t go wrong as every crisis is unique and brings with it its own challenges. The current crisis we are facing is unprecedented, and certainly unexpected, meaning many employers will be dealing with business-critical issues they never thought they would have to factor into their plans.
With this in mind, the coronavirus outbreak has reminded all of us that having robust continuity strategies in place to deal with a crisis are critical. However, a lot of businesses will have had little or no contingency planning for a crisis of this magnitude and will be scrambling around trying to figure out what to do in the face of such uncertainty.
>See also: Business continuity plan: What it is and why you need it
One of the major problems that surfaces from not having a robust plan in place is that in putting out fires, as an employer you can forget about arguably your most important stakeholder – your staff. Many are working harder than ever to

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Salesforce and Enterprise Nation launch £5,000 grant for small businesses

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Salesforce is teaming up with Enterprise Nation to offer a grant of £5,000 for small businesses.
This will help them as they reopen, adapt their business models and get back to some kind of normality. Salesforce is offering a total of $1m (£920,000) in support to businesses across the UK.
Funding will be administered by Enterprise Nation through a selection process. If your initial entry is shortlisted, you’ll be invited to send in a video pitch with an introduction to your business; how your business has been affected by coronavirus; and how securing the grant will help your business, on what it will be spent and how it will positively impact the community.
Small businesses with 2-50 employees can apply for the scheme. Be aware that the process will be staggered. Firms in Northern Ireland can apply between 18 May and midnight on 24 May and the rest will open as follows:

Midlands: 1-7 June
South of England: 15 -21 June
Scotland: 29 June – 5 July
Wales: 13-19 July
North of England: 27 July – 2 August

Companies that apply for the grant will also have access to Enterprise Nation membership, including free half-hour consultations with experts in marketing, strategy and

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Section 44 – what if an employee won’t return to work post coronavirus?

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Last Sunday (10 May), Boris Johnson announced that some employees would be returning to work this week.
The divisive move has caused outrage among unions and employees who are worried about contracting coronavirus.
Some have refused to come in, citing Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
What is Section 44?
Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 applies to every employee but not self-employed contractors. If an employee has a reasonable belief of ‘serious or imminent danger’ to their health and others around them, they can refuse to work on the grounds of Section 44.
They could refuse to work by staying at home, walking out of the workplace or by choosing not to do certain tasks.
We speak to lawyer Matthew Chandler, employment solicitor at A City Law Firm to find out what you should do if employees won’t come to work.
What if an employee refuses to return to work citing Section 44?
Employers should be aware that they have a duty to provide a safe work environment for employees.
They should be looking at doing coronavirus-specific risk assessment. The government have provided guidance to employers, for example keeping a two-metre distance.
Employers should have conducted a thorough

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What is the average cost of fitting out my shop for coronavirus?

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
As lockdown begins to ease, it could cost SMEs hundreds of pounds to fit out their shops so that they are compliant with social distancing guidelines.
On top of their regular outgoings, business owners will be wondering if they have everything they need to operate in this strange new environment.
What is the situation so far?
In his speech on 10 May, Boris Johnson announced that if the COVID-19 situation improves, shops could gradually be reopened from 1 June.
The BEIS have previously laid out draft rules for businesses on how to run post-lockdown. Some of the guidelines focus on safety measures to take for your staff and your customers.
We’ve tallied up the costs of some of the essential items you’ll need to restart your shop-based business.
COVID-19 safety equipment for shops
The items we searched come from workplace supply shops such as Viking, Staples and Nisbets. Please note that all of the prices below exclude VAT.
PPE

Pack of 50 three-ply surgical face masks – £44.99
Powdered latex gloves (pack of 100) – £7.49

Total: £52.48  
Hygiene

Hand sanitiser wall unit – £249
Alcohol hand sanitiser (500ml) – £9.99
Carex Liquid Hand Soap Refill Antibacterial Professional Original (5L) – £23.99
EcoTech Disinfectant Surface Wipes Bucket (500) –

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