Government Guidelines

The Governments newly released guidelines have been summarised below. Wightman & Parrish are able to provide many cleaning agents and sanitisers to help your workplace remain safe.

Please call 01323 445001 to place an order. 

Health/Social Care 

A new online portal that makes it easy for care homes to arrange deliveries of coronavirus test kits has been launched today. 

As the national testing capacity has increased, the government is prioritising testing for care homes and other areas with the greatest need. 

All symptomatic and asymptomatic care home staff and residents in England are now eligible for testing. Testing will be prioritised for care homes that look after the over 65s. 

Educational and Childcare settings 

Unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2m apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, the government are taking this into account. Schools should therefore work through the hierarchy of measures set out which include: 

• cleaning hands more often than usual - wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered 

• ensuring good respiratory hygiene - promote the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach 
• cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents and bleach 
• if a child, young person or other learner becomes unwell with symptoms of coronavirus while in their setting and needs direct personal care until they can return home. A face mask should be worn by the supervising adult if a distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained. If contact with the child or young person is necessary, then gloves, an apron and a face mask should be worn by the supervising adult. If a risk assessment determines that there is a risk of splashing to the eyes, for example from coughing, spitting, or vomiting, then eye protection should also be worn 

General Business  

The new guidance covers 8 workplace settings which are allowed to be open, from outdoor environments and construction sites to factories and takeaways. 

Workplaces should be cleaned more frequently, paying close attention to high-contact objects like door handles and keyboards. Employers should provide handwashing facilities or hand sanitisers at entry and exit points. 

A downloadable notice is included in the documents, which employers should display in their workplaces to show their employees, customers and other visitors to their workplace, that they have followed this guidance.