First Minister Urges Scots To Continue To Work From Home Phase three in Scotland’s shift out of lockdown is likely to last “considerably longer” than three weeks, with few changes expected next week.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave the update as she confirmed non-essential offices and call centres will remain closed for the time being.
The Scottish Government’s default position remains that anyone who can work from home should continue to do so, she said. It comes as ten new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Scotland overnight and no new deaths.
Speaking at the Scottish Government’s daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Sturgeon said the statistics showed Covid-19 has been brought down to “very low levels” in the country.
But she highlighted the danger of localised outbreaks after a cluster of cases was identified in North Lanarkshire, originating from a test and trace call centre in Bellshill.
Fifteen employees at the site – operated by firm Sitel on behalf of NHS England – tested positive for Covid-19, with five further cases among their close contacts.
Today sees the reopening of universities and colleges for a “phased return” to some on-campus learning, while live drive-in entertainment events can also be held.
Sturgeon said the Scottish Government wanted to assess the impact of all phase three changes before moving into the fourth, despite next Thursday’s review of lockdown measures which happens every three weeks.
The only measures she expects to announce is committing to a full-time return of schools and pausing the policy of “shielding” for vulnerable groups.
But she warned: “At a time when the virus is picking up again in a number of European countries and indeed countries elsewhere in the world, we need to be confident that it is safe to change restrictions further.”
Beauticians, Nail Salons And Tattoo Parlours Reopen Scotland continues with Phase 3 of its route map out of lockdown as more restrictions are lifted. Beauty salons, tattoo parlours and tailors can now reopen with enhanced hygiene measures in place.
Universities and colleges will be able to introduce a phased return to on-campus learning, as part of a blended model with remote teaching. Motorcyclist instruction can begin, as can driving lessons - but only for tractors.
These latest measures follow what First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the "biggest step yet in exiting lockdown" as the country began Phase 3 earlier this month.
Indoor pubs, cafes and restaurants reopened for the first time in almost four months on 15 July, as did hairdressers, barber shops, holiday accommodation and places of worship for communal prayer.
Museums, libraries, cinemas and visitor attractions could reopen but many venues chose not to. Since 10 July, up to eight people from a maximum of three different households have been allowed to meet indoors - and can stay overnight as long as there is physical distancing.
People should stay two metres away from people in other households, clean surfaces after touching them, and wash their hands regularly. Up to 15 people from five different households can meet outdoors, while also following the 2m distancing rules.
Adults are being advised not to meet people from any more than four different households in one day. A number of other activities remain under review and are unlikely to resume before 31 July.
These include indoor entertainment such as nightclubs, bingo, theatres, and music venues; the return of live outdoor events; indoor gyms; and the reopening of non-essential offices and call centres.
Ms Sturgeon said it was expected that Phase 3 might last longer than three weeks. The outcome of the next formal review is due to be announced on 30 July.
Scottish Retail Sector On 'Slow Path To Recovery' The trade association for retailers has said Scottish sales for June "remained in the doldrums". They were down by almost a fifth (19%) last month compared with the same period last year.
The figures, from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), suggested it was the fourth successive month of double-digit decline. However, some areas - such as food (which was up 4%), laptops and other home electronics - fared better.
Games, toys and DIY also did well but clothing and footwear did not.
The reopening of many non-essential shops in the last week of June bolstered figures slightly.
Many shoppers did shift to online shopping which also offset some of the decline. With online sales considered, the SRC said the total decline was "much improved" from May, when it was at 33%.
Paul Martin, KPMG UK's head of retail, said:
"It's clear the easing of lockdown has failed to kick-start a full recovery in Scotland's retail sector. The overall outlook remains incredibly depressed, particularly for clothing retailers.
"The shift to online sales has helped offset some of the challenges, but the situation remains critical for many of the country's highest profile brands as well as independent retailers."
David Lonsdale, of the SRC, added:
"Last month's performance lagged well behind that of the UK as a whole - unsurprising after more than three full months of lockdown.
"June did at least witness an improvement on recent lows, aided by the reopening of many 'non-essential' shops in the final week of the trading period.
"Going forward, the permitted reopening of shops, malls and eateries over recent weeks should help generate more shopper footfall and lift retail sales figures.
"However, more needs to be done in particular to bring the energy and footfall back into our city centres."
UK Gov Launches Consultation On 2025 Border Strategy Today the UK government has launched a consultation on the 2025 UK Border Strategy.
This consultation seeks the views and expertise of a range of organisations to help develop the 2025 UK Border Strategy, and ensure that government and industry are able to work together to design the world’s most effective and innovative border by 2025.
On December 31 2020 the UK transition period with the EU will end, and the UK will operate a full, external border as a sovereign nation.
The UK now has a unique opportunity to design the world’s most effective border, helping businesses take advantage of new trading relationships around the world and keeping citizens safer.
Using the ideas gathered through the consultation the government will publish a 2025 UK Border Strategy by the end of the year setting out a clear vision and roadmap that the government and border industry, working together, can deliver.
The government’s ambition is for a transformed border by 2025 that will deliver benefits including:
Government will work with industry to build a more user-centric border, moving processes away from the border where appropriate and using digital systems to enable the swift clearance of goods and people.
The consultation is open for 6 weeks and closes on 28 August.
PM Commits £350 Million To Fuel Green Recovery UK industry will receive around £350 million to cut down carbon emissions under new plans to step up efforts to tackle climate change, PM Boris Johnson announced today.
The multimillion pound investment package will build on the Prime Minister’s work throughout his first year in office to drive forward progress on the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050, by helping businesses to decarbonise across the heavy industry, construction, space and transport sectors and to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of green innovation.
The projects set to receive funding will work on developing new technologies that could help companies switch to more energy-efficient means of production, use data more effectively to tackle the impacts of climate change, and help support the creation of new green jobs by driving innovation and growth in UK industries.
The package includes:
Bid To Increase Industrial Biotech Businesses By 100 In 3 Years The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has launched a new initiative aiming to increase the number of businesses in the sector in Scotland by 100 and leverage £8 million of funding by March 2023.
The Bioeconomy Cluster Builder, in partnership with the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF), is intended to drive Scotland’s green recovery.
New SCC Network Coronavirus Survey Tracker The Phase 5 Coronavirus Survey Tracker focuses on the changes to business operations, obstacles to restarting, the situation with regards furlough and redundancies, as well as ascertaining what’s needed next for businesses and what role they see the chamber network playing in the economic recovery period.
The findings of this Tracker will support the Chamber Network’s representations to both the Scottish and UK Government to shape the business and economic recovery plans, as well as inform our own Network engagement with our collective membership across Scotland.
As a reminder, the Phase 4 Tracker received around 450 responses from across the Chamber Network.
For further information, please contact Colin Campbell at SCC via the below link.
Travel Planning Support Transport Scotland is offering free travel demand management workshops to employers in the Edinburgh and Glasgow Regions to enable you to better support your employees as they return to work following lockdown.
The free workshops will have a limited number of attendees to enable discussion and will be taking place next week.
If you would like to book a place, please email Sean Stephen at Mott MacDonald via the below link.
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The Hub is updated daily and includes information on business support, access to finance, contact numbers, public information and travel advice.
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