Lockdown 2 – What Are The Rules And Financial Support?

To assist our reader, we have gathered the main points regarding the impact of the government’s second lockdown, which we feel may be of interest to you.

The Government has confirmed that the following businesses were required to close from Thursday 5 November to Wednesday 2 December 2020:

• all non-essential retail, including, but not limited to: clothing and electronics stores, vehicle showrooms, travel agents, betting shops, auction houses, tailors, car washes, tobacco and vape shops.
• indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as: bowling alleys, leisure centres and gyms, sports facilities including swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, dance studios, stables and riding centres, soft play facilities, climbing walls and climbing centres, archery and shooting ranges, water and theme parks.

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• entertainment venues such as: theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, adult gaming centres and arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, concert halls, zoos and other animal attractions, botanical gardens;
• personal care facilities such as hair, beauty and nail salons, tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services, non-medical acupuncture, and tanning salons.

Supermarkets, food shops, garden centres and a limited group of other retailers that sell ‘essential’ goods and services will be able to remain open if they follow COVID-secure guidelines. In line with the first lockdown ‘Stay at Home’ measures, hospitality businesses, including pubs, bars and restaurants that are required to close may provide takeaway and delivery services. However, this time hospitality venues will not be able to provide takeaways of alcohol. Accommodation venues i.e. Hotels, B & B etc will only be able to remain open for people who have to travel for work and for a limited number of other exemptions. Cont 33Support

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been extended and replaces the new Job Support Scheme.

The extended CJRS will operate on similar terms to those in place in August 2020. CJRS grants will cover 80 per cent of a furloughed employee’s usual wages, capped at £2,500 a month, while employers will be required to cover employer National Insurance and pension contributions.

They will not be required to contribute to employees’ wages, as had been required in September and October.

Flexible furlough arrangements will also be permitted under the extended scheme. This means furloughed employees will be able to work reduced hours, paid by their employer in full, while the employer can claim a CJRS grant in respect of 80 per cent of the pay for usual hours not worked.

In an important difference, even if the employer or employee have not participated CJRS previuously, they can use the extended scheme.

The scheme is open to all employees for whom a Real Time Information (RTI) submission had been made on or before 30 October 2020. Previously, the scheme had only been open for employees reported on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020 and who had been furloughed for at least three weeks before 1 July 2020.

In all other respects, the scheme will operate as previously and will be open to employees on any type of contract. Employers will also be able to top-up employee wages above the value of CJRS grant if they wish to do so.

Employers will need to agree full furlough or flexible furlough arrangements with employees in accordance with employment law and their contracts of employment.

In terms of domestic staff, the same working regime as in the previous lockdown will apply with staff working and employers proving a save Covid-9 environment.

Full guidance on the extended scheme is expected to be published imminently.

Additionally there are grants for businesses that are required to close, and an extension to the mortgage payment holiday scheme.

The Graham Agency working with you.