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Yesterday evening (Wednesday 8th December), the Prime Minister announced that the Government would trigger its Covid ‘Plan B’ in England in order to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

The three new measures announced yesterday as part of Plan B are:

  1. Friday 10th December: Mandatory required face coverings in most indoor venues, excluding hospitality venues.
  2. Monday 13th December: The return of official guidance to work from home where possible.
  3. Wednesday 15th December: ‘Vaccine passports’ will be implemented using the NHS Covid Pass to enter nightclubs and large crowded venues in England.

What is the new work from home guidance?

Official guidance to work from home where possible will return from Monday 13th December. Government guidance states that people can continue travelling to work if they need to access equipment necessary for their role or when their role must be completed in person.

It has also been advised that employers should consider the mental health of their staff when considering who should work from home, particularly those who may have a challenging home environment to work in.

If you have employees that will be working from home, even for a temporary period, you should conduct a home working risk assessment for them. We would also advise that a home working policy is put into place to ensure home working employees know what is expected of them, and for a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment to be conducted.

These policies and documents are available to My HR Club members and My HR Hub retained clients at no extra cost via the My HR Club HR portal. Please get in touch with our team if you need help logging on.

What are the new face covering rules?

From Friday 10th December, the requirement to wear a face covering indoors will be expanded from just shops and public transport into most indoor public areas, such as places of worship, theatres, libraries, cinemas and hairdressers.

Hospitality venues such as bars and restaurants, as well as gyms, will be exempt from the new rules.

Find out more about the new face covering rules and the places covered on the Government website.

What is NHS Covid Pass and where will it be required?

NHS Covid Pass is England’s ‘vaccine passport’ scheme. It existed prior to yesterday’s announcement and was previously implemented on a voluntary basis. From Wednesday 15th December, a valid NHS Covid Pass will become mandatory for entry into crowded venues with large crowds.

The NHS Covid Pass is available on the NHS mobile app, through the NHS website, or by requesting one over the phone.

The NHS Covid Pass confirms someone has:

  • Been fully vaccinated with both doses of a Covid vaccine
  • Had a negative PCR or Lateral Flow test result in the past 48 hours
  • Received a positive PCR test in the past six months and finished self-isolating

From Wednesday 15th December, a valid NHS Covid Pass must be shown in order to gain entry to any of the following venues:

  • Nightclubs
  • Indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people
  • Unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people
  • Any venue with more than 10,000 people

What can I do to prepare for the new rules?

If you have employees that will now be working from home, it is important that you meet your obligations to them. Employees working from home require a risk assessment, and it’s advisable to also have a home working policy in place and conduct a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessment for them.

These policies and documents are available to My HR Club members and My HR Hub retained clients at no extra cost via the My HR Club HR portal. Please get in touch with our team if you need help logging on.

Should you have employees continue to be in the workplace, you should ensure you have a Covid risk assessment completed and take action to keep staff safe by following government safety guidance to reduce the risk of transmission (detailed below).

You may also like to consider implementing face covering, mass testing and vaccination policies for employees in the workplace (templates available via My HR Club), but this is not required.

What can I do to keep employees safe in the workplace?

Official safety guidance laid out by the Government should be followed and Covid risk assessments should also be conducted for staff in the workplace. A plan for how to deal with a Covid outbreak in the workplace is also strongly advisable.

Advice on how to minimise the risk of transmission in the workplace includes:

  • Improve ventilation by keeping windows open and prop open doors into poorly ventilated spaces.
  • Minimise unnecessary visitors in the workplace.
  • Implement one-way systems where possible.
  • Conduct frequent cleaning of touchpoints such as doors, staircase handrails, lift buttons, kettles and more.
  • Consider introducing mass testing, vaccination and face mask policies in the workplace (templates available via My HR Club).
  • Ensure soap and hand sanitizer is readily available.

Read more about keeping employees safe in the workplace on the Government website.

Find out more about the NHS Covid Pass on the NHS website.

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Read more about the new face covering rules from 10th December here.

See a summary of the new rules coming into force as part of ‘Plan B’ here.

Find out more about My HR Club by clicking here.