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Category: Covid-19

Comment: Easing of Lockdown

Posted on by Fiona Campbell
  • The ASSC welcomes the publication of the Scottish Government’s timetable for the further easing of lockdown restrictions which provides a pathway for our industry to work towards reopening and provides a much needed boost for our sector. Following the publication of the strategic framework update last month, we called for more detail and clarity from the Scottish Government and we therefore commend them on the new timetable.
  • The ASSC looks forward to receiving the further promised details on the funding that will be available to help us restart our businesses and get back to creating memory-making holidays for our customers. We also require further clarity from the Scottish Government on the impact on business of household restrictions, which will continue until we reach Level Zero, rendering businesses unviable, as well the much-needed financial support as a matter of extreme urgency.
  • With international travel unlikely to be a viable option for the immediate future, we have a real opportunity to revitalise the domestic tourism market in Scotland and self-catering offers a safe and low-risk environment for families to take a well-deserved break after months of lockdown and help them rediscover our country.
  • Self-catering operators are eager to take bookings and reopen their business after long periods of closure throughout the past year due to local and national lockdowns, as well as the racheting up of household restrictions. The industry recognised its role at helping to suppress the virus, which came at great personal and financial cost, but we are ready to reopen.
  • We have robust government-backed cleaning protocols in place that underpin our commitment to the safe and responsible reopening. However, we do have some challenges in convincing some local communities who may have concerns. Both industry and the Scottish Government need to work together to communicate clearly to members of the public that this reopening is safe and evidence-led.

Fiona Campbell

Chief Executive, Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers

Support for Business

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

Support for business

“Our collective response has required us to take some difficult decisions to deal with the public health risk, which we recognise has been extremely challenging for businesses and the economy as a whole. We also recognise the efforts that businesses have made to ensure that they are operating in a way which minimises the risk from the virus when they have been able to open. As we move slowly and carefully towards reopening parts of the economy, we will continue to work with sector bodies and business organisations to ensure that guidance is developed collaboratively. We recognise that some sectors will still be restricted even at Levels 0 and 1, particularly while physical social distancing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as face coverings, are in place. So, we will continue to talk to business and other sectors about the contents of Levels 0, 1 and 2, for example the size of gatherings allowed at sporting and cultural events and in places of worship. We will also continue to review and consider the need for physical social distancing and other interventions.. We hope to be able to relax the current restrictions further as the data allows.

“We recognise the financial challenges that have faced businesses this last year and hope that these changes will pave the way for thousands of businesses across Scotland starting the journey back to normality. In February we said that we would maintain and build on the Strategic Framework Business Fund (SFBF) and the £120 million Local Authority Discretionary Fund beyond 31 March and of course our plans for business support have been closely aligned with the wider changes. Recognising the importance of front-loading that support to help businesses prepare to reopen, we will:

  • on 22 March, make one final four-weekly payment of the SFBF, with no new claims permitted
  • on 19 April, automatically give all SFBF recipients a combined two-week supplement and a one-off restart grant: up to £7,500 for eligible retail premises; and up to £19,500 for eligible hospitality and leisure The infrastructure for the SFBF will be retained and used as required in future for business support linked to any local outbreaks”

On 19 April 2021, all businesses currently in receipt of support through the Strategic Framework Business Fund on Non-Domestic Rates will automatically receive a combined final 2-week supplement and a one-off restart grant to help them reopen:

  • Retailers in receipt of SFBF will be eligible for grants up to £7,500 based on rateable value:
    • for properties with a rateable value below £51,000: £7,000 (£6,000+£1,000)
    • for properties with a rateable value above £51,001: £7,500 (£6,000+£1,500)
  • Hospitality and leisure businesses in receipt of SFBF will be eligible for grants up to £18,000 based on rateable value:
    • for properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under: £9,000 (£8,000+£1,000)
    • for properties with a rateable value between £15,001 and £51,000: £13,000 (£12,000+£1,000)
    • for properties with a rateable value of £51,001 or over: £19,500 (£18,000+£1,500)

Read more here.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): timetable for easing restrictions

Posted on by Melanie Allen

The First Minister has today announced the Timetable for Easing Restrictions which sets out how and when we plan to lift the current coronavirus restrictions over the coming weeks and months.

Download Here

Read in Full Here

Timetable for planned phasing – Defined by the Scottish Government 16/03/21

2 April

  • lifting the ‘Stay at Home’ requirement and replacing it with a ‘Stay Local’ message (retaining the current, local authority-based travel restrictions for at least a three-week period)

5 April

We will continue to monitor closely this encouraging data. Assuming that all goes well, our next significant milestone for easing restrictions will be 5 April, when we plan to ease a wider range of current restrictions in level 4 areas (some of these activities/settings are already permitted/open in Level 3 island communities) including:

  • the resumption of outdoor contact sport for 12-17 year olds
  • return of college students within the top three priority groups identified by Colleges Scotland as most likely not to complete this academic year (estimated as 29% of learners)
  • reopening of non-essential ‘click and collect’ retail
  • extending the list of retail permitted to include:
    ° garden centres (indoor and outdoor)
    ° key cutting shops ° mobility equipment shops
    ° baby equipment shops
    ° electrical repair shops
    ° hairdressers and barbers (with shopfronts – not mobile services), by appointment only
    ° homeware shops
    ° vehicle showrooms (appointment only) and forecourts

The prohibition of in-home socialising will continue to be kept under review at this date.

12/19 April, depending on term times

  • all children back to school full-time

26 April

Subject to supply by mid-April, we plan to have offered the vaccine to priority vaccine groups 1-9, based on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation advice for protecting the most vulnerable in our population. Assuming the data allows it, we expect a more significant reopening of the economy and society from 26 April. This will likely include the following easings (some of these activities/settings are already permitted/open in Level 3 island communities).

  • extending outdoor socialising to permit up to 6 people from up to 3 households to gather
  • allowing 12-17 year olds to meet outdoors in groups of 6 from up to 6 households
  • travel within all of mainland Scotland permitted (subject to other restrictions that remain in place)
  • remaining shops can reopen and mobile close contact services can resume
  • gyms can reopen for individual exercise
  • tourist accommodation to reopen (self-catering accommodation to be restricted in line with rules on indoor gathering)
  • work in people’s homes to resume • driving lessons to resume
  • weddings and funerals for up to 50 (including wakes and receptions with no alcohol permitted)
  • libraries, museums, galleries re-open
  • outdoor hospitality to open till 22:00 with alcohol permitted. Indoor hospitality permitted without alcohol and closing at 20:00
  • social mixing in indoor public places will be subject to current maximum of 4 people from up to 2 households The prohibition of in-home socialising will continue to be kept under review at this date.

17 May

Three weeks on from the publication of the last update, and given the progress with the vaccination programme and what we have learned about its impact on reducing transmission of the virus, we are now in a position to add a new indicative date for further easing of restrictions. From 17 May we hope to introduce the following easings:

  • re-introducing in-home socialising for up to 4 people from up to 2 households
  • further re-opening of hospitality: bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can stay open until 22:30 indoors with alcohol permitted and 2 hour time-limited slots and until 22:00 outdoors with alcohol permitted
  • adult outdoor contact sport and indoor group exercises can resume
  • cinemas, amusement arcades and bingo halls can re-open
  • small scale indoor and outdoor events can resume subject to capacity constraints (to be confirmed following stakeholder engagement)
  • colleges and universities can return to a more blended model of learning
  • more in-person (face-to-face) support services can resume
  • non-professional performance arts can resume outdoors

June

We know that the coronavirus is unpredictable and is adept at mutating in order to survive. It is also vital that we allow enough time between different sets of easings to assess what effect they have had on the R number and other virus indicators. For that reason, it is too early now to give specific dates beyond May. However, we understand the need for people and businesses to plan and so, to give a broad sense of likely timings, from the start of June, we would aim for Scotland to move back to Level 1. This will allow further relaxation across all areas of the economy and society, while still applying physical distancing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions and the FACTS guidance. From the end of June, we hope that we will be able to move to Level 0.

We must also be prepared to pause if the data shows that the virus is spreading again. We will act decisively to reapply higher levels of restrictions to manage localised outbreaks should the need arise. This could be on a local or regional basis, depending on the nature of the outbreak. However, we will not leave any restrictions in place for any longer than they are necessary to meet our responsibility to safeguard the people of Scotland.

Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC)’s Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:

“The timeline set out by the First Minster is most welcome and will give self-catering operators, and hospitality and tourism businesses across Scotland, the scope we need to plan for the immediate and medium-term future.

“In our view, these initial steps out of lockdown strike the correct balance between the needs of business, the desire across the country for increased normality, and the caution that we all have to continue to observe as we work together to beat COVID-19.

“The ASSC commends the Scottish Government on the majority of the content announced today and we look forward to receiving the further promised details on the funding that will be available to help us restart our businesses and get back to creating memory-making holidays for our customers.

 “However, we still require further clarity on the impact on business of household restrictions, which will continue until we reach Level Zero, rendering businesses unviable, as well the much-needed financial support as a matter of extreme urgency.

“There can be few sectors in Scotland that understand better the need to return to near normality as much as ours and, as a sector, self-catering is dedicated to continuing to work constructively with the Scottish Government, and all other stakeholders, in achieving this is in a safe and timely manner.”

Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance said;

“The First Minister’s announcement of an indicative timeline for the phased reopening of our tourism and hospitality sector will be massively welcomed by the sector today; it is the most positive news we have received in a long time. 

“The STA has been in discussion with the Scottish Government on almost a daily basis over the past few weeks to highlight the need for a clearer route out of lockdown to be given to tourism businesses and our supply chain, not only to allow for the necessary timeframe to plan for reopening, but to protect the many thousands of jobs which are at risk.

“Today’s announcement will offer some very much needed light at the end of what has been the darkest tunnel for our industry. 

“One of the biggest challenges for tourism businesses has been the restrictions around travel throughout the country which will be removed as of 26th April allowing all tourist accommodation, cafes and restaurants the opportunity to open, 50 guests to attend weddings and our tourist attractions and adventure operators to start operating again.

“The sector has been closed for the majority of the past year; every aspect of the route map announced this afternoon offers us a more solid pathway for securing and protecting jobs and the ability to plan for reopening in accordance with government guidelines, building consumer confidence that when visitors choose to return, it will be safe to do so.

“Concern remains around the impact of the loss of our international market which will continue to be felt acutely by many sectors who are dependent on our global markets to trade viably, but it was encouraging to hear the First Minister to discussions set to take place with the travel industry and refer to a review of this mid-May.

“It’s absolutely critical that continued tailored financial support, by way of grants is made available to those who won’t be in a position to open and trade viably until we move into the much lower tiers; the up-front restart will be very welcomed to assist with that outlay.

“The detail announced today will I know come as a huge relief for so many and we look forward to posing further questions to the First Minister over the course of the coming days for an exclusive interview which will form part of the STA’s virtual conference programme on 24th March.

“We hugely appreciate the level of consultation between the Scottish Government, the STA and our colleagues within the sectoral groups and their willingness to listen and respond favourably to the recommendations which have been presented.

“We of course acknowledge that these dates are provisional and we are committed to working in a safe and professional manner to minimise risk and ensure that our tourism industry can play a key part in the rebuild and recovery of Scotland’s economy.”