The government’s plan to gradually ease lockdown restrictions means that non-essential retail, outdoor hospitality, personal care and other sectors could be permitted to reopen on 12 April.
To help businesses prepare for re-opening the council’s regulatory services is holding a free webinar on ‘Lifting of COVID-19 Restrictions and Reopening Businesses‘ on Tuesday, 6 April at 11am.
The webinar will include guidance for businesses followed by a question and answer session. The topics discussed will include:
- A rundown of the restrictions that will be still be in place after the 12 April reopen date
- Advice on achieving COVID Secure status
- Outline of the measures that businesses should have in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
There will also be an opportunity for businesses to ask specific questions during the webinar or have individual conversations with council officers after the webinar.
The session is free and open to all Ealing businesses to attend. Those interested are asked to use join the meeting via the Teams Link at 11am on Tuesday, 6 April.
It can be joined by people using their internet browser, without the need for a Teams account.
In addition to the webinar, businesses are encouraged to visit the council’s COVID-19 Help for Business web pages, which have further guidance and support.
Businesses can also email covid19businesscompliance@ealing.gov.uk for specific support relating to their business. Further information on businesses permitted to open or must close can be found on the government webpages.
High street task force
A High Streets Taskforce was set up last year to help local businesses follow the government guidelines to operate safely during the pandemic and to recover and rebuild thriving high streets for the future.
Since last summer, the group has been working behind the scenes to ensure that, when allowed, businesses can trade in a way that makes our high streets safe to visit.
Helping businesses to bounce back, its work has included providing important health and safety guidance to businesses, installing signage on the high street to assist with social distancing and providing important heath messages, implementing temporary changes to public footways and cycle paths to increase accessibility, and when permissible, supporting hospitality businesses to have temporary outside seating to increase their capacity.
Ealing received up to £300,759 of funding as part of the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund provided by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Greater London Authority is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
