• COVID 19
COVID 19

England has moved to Step 4 of the roadmap. Everyone should be cautious while managing the risks as cases of COVID-19 remain high.

City of Wolverhampton Council understands that businesses will be doing all they can to stay safe and trading during this time. Prior to commencing any form of food business or distribution, particularly if you are doing something new, please ensure that you contact the Environmental Health Service so an officer can provide you with advice and guidance on how to do this as safely as possible:

Coronavirus remains a serious health risk. It’s important to stay cautious and help protect yourself and others. In England:

  • Meet up outside or if you’re indoors open windows or doors if you have visitors.
  • If you think you might have COVID-19 symptoms, take a PCR test and stay home.
  • Wear face coverings in crowded places to help protect others.
  • Check in with the NHS COVID-19 app when you’re out.
  • Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds with soap.
  • Get vaccinated if you are 18 or over.

Find out how to stay safe and help prevent the spread.

As we are sure you are aware the Government have stepped up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and save lives. This means you must:

  • Stay at home as much as possible
  • Work from home if you can
  • Limit contact with other people
  • Keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
  • Wash your hands regularly

Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

You can find more information on the Government’s website about Coronavirus and What You Can and Can’t Do.

City of Wolverhampton Council have launched Wolves in Business, a local economy support package to help businesses through this time of great anxiety.

Downloads

Handwashing Poster

Social distancing inside shop poster

We’re Open poster

Maximum Number poster

Webinars

Working Safely during Coronavirus – Step 4 Business Guidance

Ventilation and use of CO2 monitors

Good ventilation brings fresh or cleaned air into indoor spaces. The more fresh air that is brought inside, the more diluted any airborne virus will become. In poorly ventilated spaces, residual virus can remain in the air after an infected person has left and increase the risk of COVID-19 spreading.

You should maximise the supply of fresh air in your premises. You can do this through:

  • Fully or partially opening windows, air vents and doors to improve natural ventilation
  • If you use mechanical ventilation, ensuring that your systems are set to maximise fresh air and minimise air recirculation. Maximising the amount of fresh air your system draws in or ensuring additional fresh air will help avoid COVID-19 spreading.
  • Identifying any poorly ventilated spaces as part of your risk assessment, and taking steps to improve fresh air flow in these areas (see below for further details)

You can also encourage the use of outside space where practical, in particular for higher risk activity such as exercise or when people are singing or raising their voices.

Read advice on air conditioning and ventilation from HSE.
Read HSE advice on how to use a CO2 monitor.

Risk Assessment

As an employer, you must protect people from harm. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect your workers and others from coronavirus. This is called a COVID-19 risk assessment and it’ll help you manage risk and protect people. If you employ 5 or more then the results of this risk assessment must be written down. Please view Risk Assessment for more information.

Keeping Records and NHS Track & Trace

The NHS test and trace service:

  • provides testing for anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus to find out if they have the virus
  • gets in touch with anyone who has had a positive test result to help them share information about any close recent contacts they have had
  • alerts those contacts, where necessary, and notifies them they need to self-isolate to help stop the spread of the virus

You can find more information on the Government’s website about NHS test and trace

Organisations in certain sectors should collect details and maintain records of staff, customers and visitors on their premises to support NHS Test and Trace. You can find more information on the Government’s website about maintaining records

Venues in hospitality e.g. cafes, restaurants, pubs, the tourism and leisure industry, close contact services and local authority facilities must now display an official NHS QR code poster so that customers and visitors can ‘check in’. It is encouraged that all customers, where possible, use this NHS QR Code.

Legionella and Legionnaires’ Disease

Employers, the self-employed and people in control of premises, have a duty to identify and control risks associated with legionella. These guidance documents will help all organisations that rely on a safe water supply to undertake their business activities to consider the risk and implemented additional control measures.

A-Boards, Tables and Chairs – Pavement Licences

The government has introduced draft guidance: pavement licences to streamline the process and make it cheaper for businesses such as cafes, restaurants and bars to secure a licence to place furniture on the highway. This will support them to operate safely while social distancing measures remain in place.

If you want to place an A-Board, Tables and Chairs and Goods on part of the Public Highway you will require a licence from Wolverhampton Council. You can find out more information on the Licensing page or by contacting Licensing

Reopen your business safely during coronavirus (COVID‑19)