What is the impact of the Coronavirus ‘Fire breaker’ on workers and employers?

Wales is currently subject to new lockdown restrictions, which will be in place until Monday 9 November. The restrictions, termed a ‘firebreaker’ are designed to reduce the spike in cases of Coronavirus within Wales and prevent additional strain on the NHS.

Several counties in Wales were already subject to local restrictions. These new measures apply to all areas of Wales, regardless of the number of cases in any given area. The key features of the lockdown include:

• Residents must remain at home, except for limited purposes, for example to exercise;
• Residents must continue to work from home, if possible;
• Non-food retail, hospitality businesses (including pubs and restaurants who do not offer a takeaway service) and close contact services (including hairdressers and beauticians) must close;
• Events and tourism businesses, such as hotels, must close.
• Breach of the new restrictions could see people being issued with fines, starting with a fixed penalty notice of £60.00.

The guidance on working remains for people to work from home, where possible. Travel is permitted for work, voluntary or charitable purposes but only where it is not reasonably practicable to carry out those duties at home. Welsh Government guidance suggests employers should assess whether there is a business need to have employees attend the workplace, or whether alternative arrangements can be made.

A £300million package of support for businesses impacted by the lockdown has been announced, with details to be confirmed later this week. The fund will open from 26 October onwards and will provide:

• A £1,000 payment to all businesses eligible to receive the small business rates relief;
• A one-off payment of up to £5,000 for small and medium-sized retail, leisure and hospitality businesses;
• Discretionary grants and support for smaller businesses;
• A £100million development fund for businesses in the longer term, with £20million ring-fenced for tourism and hospitality.

For further advice on the Job Support Scheme, the impact of business closures, or any other Employment-related issue, then please contact Debbie Coyne at Aaron & Partners.

About the author

Debbie Coyne has extensive experience of advising employers on all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious. Debbie’s experience involves advising both private sector organisations from PLCs through to SMEs in various sectors, public sector clients, further and higher education universities and colleges, charities and not for profit organisations. https://www.aaronandpartners.com/team/debbie-coyne/