Wakefield Council supports businesses to B-Prepared for Government's Plan B

Wakefield Council has launched a new campaign that asks local businesses to ‘B- Prepared’ for the Government’s Plan B which will be initiated if health services become overstretched.
Wakefield Council has launched a new campaign that asks local businesses to ‘B- Prepared’ for the Government’s Plan B which will be initiated if health services become overstretched.Wakefield Council has launched a new campaign that asks local businesses to ‘B- Prepared’ for the Government’s Plan B which will be initiated if health services become overstretched.
Wakefield Council has launched a new campaign that asks local businesses to ‘B- Prepared’ for the Government’s Plan B which will be initiated if health services become overstretched.

Should ‘Plan B’ come into force, this may require people to work from home where possible, the reintroduction of mandatory face-coverings in some settings and the introduction of the COVID pass in some environments.

The Government has indicated that it will provide one week’s notice for the implementation of Plan B, based on data at the time, so it is essential that businesses across the district are ready to make any changes required.

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To help businesses prepare, the Council has provided a toolkit which includes posters for businesses to display in their premises that include information on face coverings, the COVID-19 pass, social distancing, ventilation and capacity limits.

The toolkit is available on the council’s website which also contains useful weblinks to prepare businesses for the changes that will be needed.

The pack will also be delivered to businesses across the district by the business support team.

As well as downloading the pack, the Council urges businesses to familiarise themselves with the guidance, regularly check for updates on the Government website, and develop contingency plans should Plan B come into force. Details of the plan can be found here.

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Coun Darren Byford, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet member for Regeneration, Economic Growth and Property, said: “It is incredibly important that our local businesses prepare for Plan B so that they are in an excellent position to make swift changes and avoid disruption and we are working hard as a council to ensure our businesses are supported should Plan B be actioned.

“We can all do our bit to keep ourselves and others in our community safe this winter and businesses are advised to introduce effective control measures if they have not already done so, such as ensuring good ventilation, implement hand cleaning stations and carrying out effective cleaning in the workplace.”

Ensuring good ventilation in the workplace is essential to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Businesses can identify any poorly ventilated spaces, for example, by using a CO2 monitor, and take steps to improve fresh air flow in these areas. A new simple tool has been developed in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to assist with this. T

he tool can be found here.

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Businesses can also prevent the spread of COVID-19 by displaying an NHS QR code poster for customers to check-in using the NHS COVID-19 app, so they are alerted if there is an outbreak and can protect others.

Find out more here.

Employers must ask employees to stay at home if they are feeling unwell and not come into work.

They should also provide handwashing facilities or sanitiser to enable staff and customers to clean their hands more frequently. Surfaces and other contact areas should be cleaned regularly.

For further advice on reducing the spread of COVID visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/coronavirus-information