Babak Belurs

Senin, 13 Juli 2020

Coronavirus: Face coverings in England's shops to be compulsory from 24 July - BBC News

Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.

Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government is to announce.

The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany.

Since mid-May, the public have been advised to wear coverings in enclosed public spaces, where they may encounter people they would not usually meet.

It has been compulsory on public transport since 15 June.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to set out the new guidance on face coverings on Tuesday.

They are designed to minimise the spread of coronavirus and also encourage people to return to the shops safely.

The announcement follows confusion about the government's intentions in recent days, with a senior minister suggesting on Sunday that people should use their "common sense" rather than being compelled to cover up.

Labour said ministers' response had been "slow and muddled" and questioned why the new rules would not come into force for 11 days.

Penalties

The rules will be enforced by the police, with anyone disregarding them at risk of a fine of up to £100. This will be reduced to £50 if people pay within 14 days.

While shop workers will be encouraged to prompt customers to comply, they will not be expected to enforce the rules, allaying unions' concerns about their involvement.

In line with the rules on public transport, children under 11 and those with certain disabilities will be exempt.

In Scotland, the use of coverings in shops has been mandatory since 10 July. Shoppers in Wales and Northern Ireland are not currently required to wear them, although both nations have said this will be kept under review.

Boris Johnson signalled a shift in the government's position on Friday when he spoke of the need for a stricter approach in confined settings and was pictured wearing a mask in a shop in his Uxbridge constituency.

But in a BBC interview on Sunday, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove downplayed the suggestion of any immediate legal change, saying he believed it should merely be a matter of "courtesy and good manners" to cover up.

Asked whether it should become mandatory, he replied "I don't think so, no".

'Slow and muddled'

Labour said the mixed messages were symptomatic of the government's indecision during the pandemic, and ministers had to explain the "further delay".

"The government has been slow and muddled again," said shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth.

"Given the government's own guidance issued on 11 May advised in favour of face masks, many will ask why yet again have ministers been slow in making a decision in this pandemic, and why it'll take another 11 days before these new guidelines to come into force."

A No 10 spokesperson said: "There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus.

"The prime minister has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24."

Unions have said the new guidance must be "clear and detailed" to protect staff and customers.

While welcoming clarity over the issue, Usdaw said coverings could not be a substitute for strict hygiene controls and social distancing measures, such as limiting the number of people allowed in a store at any one time.

Downing Street said it would keep the guidance on face coverings in other settings, such as offices, under review.

The London Chambers of Commerce said the move would "hopefully bring much needed reassurance to consumers and boost London footfall".

Face coverings have been compulsory in shops in Germany since the end of April and in Italy since 4 May. Similar rules came into force in Spain on 21 May and in Belgium on 11 July.

But they are not mandatory in France, where it is up to retailers to decide whether customers should wear them.

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2020-07-13 22:30:00Z
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Coronavirus: Face coverings in England's shops to be compulsory from 24 July - BBC News

Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.

Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government is to announce.

The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany.

Since mid-May, the public have been advised to wear coverings in enclosed public spaces, where they may encounter people they would not usually meet.

It has been compulsory on public transport since 15 June.

Labour said ministers' response had been "slow and muddled" and questioned why the new rules would not come into force for 11 days.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to set out the new guidance on face coverings on Tuesday. They are designed to minimise the spread of coronavirus and also encourage people to return to the shops safely.

Penalties

The rules will be enforced by the police, with anyone disregarding them at risk of a fine of up to £100. This will be reduced to £50 if people pay within 14 days.

While shop workers will be encouraged to prompt customers to comply, they will not be expected to enforce the rules, allaying unions' concerns about their involvement.

In line with the rules on public transport, children under 11 and those with certain disabilities will be exempt.

In Scotland, the use of coverings in shops has been mandatory since 10 July. Shoppers in Wales and Northern Ireland are not currently required to wear them although both nations have said this will be kept under review.

But in a BBC interview on Sunday, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove downplayed any immediate legal change, saying he believed it should merely be a matter of "courtesy and good manners" to cover up.

Asked whether it should become mandatory, he replied "I don't think so no".

'Slow and muddled'

Labour said the mixed messages were symptomatic of the government's indecision during the pandemic and ministers had to explain the "further delay".

"The government has been slow and muddled again," said shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth.

A No 10 spokesperson said: "There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus.

"The prime minister has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24."

Unions have said the new guidance must be "clear and detailed" to protect staff and customers.

While welcoming clarity over the issue, Usdaw said coverings could not be a substitute for proper hygiene controls and people continuing to follow social distancing guidelines.

The British Retail Consortium said it would have been wrong to put hard-working staff, already suffering abuse, "in harm's way" by asking them to enforce the rules and clarity was needed on whether they too must cover up.

Face coverings have been compulsory in shops in Germany since the end of April and in Italy since 4 May. Similar rules came into force in Spain on 21 May and in Belgium on 11 July.

But they are not mandatory in France, where it is up to retailers to decide whether customers should wear them.

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British business faces £7bn red tape bill under Brexit border plan - Financial Times

British companies trading with Europe will have to absorb a post-Brexit bureaucracy burden and fill in an extra 215m customs declarations at a cost of about £7bn a year, according to government officials.

The scale of the additional red tape involved in future trade with the EU was confirmed as cabinet office minister Michael Gove laid out the government’s plans to manage the UK’s borders in a 206-page document that included the admission: “Customs declarations are complicated.”

Mr Gove has not disputed industry estimates that some 50,000 new private sector customs agents will have to be hired by business to deal with formalities at the UK-EU border — regardless of whether the two sides reach a trade deal.

The cabinet minister was speaking on the day the government launched an upbeat advertising campaign to prepare the country for the end of the Brexit transition deal on January 1, under the strapline: “UK’s new start — let’s get going”.

In spite of business concerns that new IT, customs experts and lorry parks will not be ready by the end of the year, Mr Gove and prime minister Boris Johnson insisted that the “Project Fear” warnings of anti-Brexit campaigners would turn out to be ill-founded.

Mr Johnson claimed that the Covid-19 crisis had put the costs associated with Brexit “very much into perspective”.

Michael Gove: his report admits that ‘customs declarations are complicated’ © AFP via Getty Images

But while Mr Gove told MPs that Brexit would allow Britain to set its own immigration policy and strike trade deals around the world, for businesses trading with Europe and for individuals travelling abroad for work or leisure Brexit will throw up new hurdles.

Officials confirmed that the government’s most recent estimates — first published by HM Revenue & Customs in December 2018 — were that there would be an extra 215m customs declaration forms for businesses importing or exporting goods.

That would apply regardless of whether Britain and the EU conclude a trade deal this year with the aim of removing all tariffs and quotas. Only a fraction of the estimated 50,000 extra agents needed to handle the new customs forms have so far been recruited.

Jon Thompson, former head of HMRC, in 2018 estimated that the cost of each declaration could be £32.50, but cited a range from £20 up to a possible £55.

The estimated 215m import and export declarations made by British traders would be mirrored by the same process by counterparties in the EU, meaning some 430m forms would have to be completed in total; that will add considerably to the cost of trade across a currently open border.

Mr Gove announced £705m of extra spending for new infrastructure, jobs and technology, and the border with the EU and confirmed plans to build lorry inspection sites away from congested ports such as Dover. Officials estimate that up to a dozen may be needed.

Rachel Reeves, shadow cabinet office minister, said the extra bureaucracy was “staggering”. Last week Liz Truss, international trade secretary, raised concerns with ministerial colleagues about the delay in preparing the new border.

Julian Smith, former chief whip, said it was “deeply problematic and worrying” that the government was imposing additional costs on businesses that were already struggling with coronavirus.

Richard Burnett, head of the Road Haulage Association, warned of a serious shortage of customs agents and expressed concern about a proposed new “Smart Freight” app, that lorry drivers will have to complete in advance before travelling to ports in Kent.

Hauliers have been promised it will be ready by the end of the year, but Mr Burnett said: “That’s not that much use to say it’s ready by the end of the year. We need to be able to ‘touch, feel and train people on the functionality for it to be working from Jan 1.”

Meanwhile Dominic Goudie, head of international trade for the Food and Drink Federation, said the requirement that all fish imports and exports must have full documentation by January 1 could “hit consumers quite quickly” given that 75 per cent of UK-caught fish is exported to the EU, and about a third of fish consumed in the UK is imported from the EU.

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2020-07-13 18:46:00Z
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UK government's back to work advice prompts confusion - Financial Times

Office staff in England are being encouraged by ministers to return to work where possible to prevent permanent economic damage in city centres around the country.

Yet the advice has wreaked confusion because the official government guidance — which is for people to work from home if possible — has not changed.

On Monday morning a Downing Street spokesman said: “If you can go back, provided your company has obeyed the guidelines, provided it is safe, then you should go back to work.”

He indicated that the suggestion would also apply to tens of thousands of civil servants, who have been ordered to work from home since March.

The comments came after prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday appeared to encourage people to return to work.

Government officials said the changing verbal advice reflected ministers’ fears about the damage to the economy from the majority of workers staying at home. “The prime minister is definitely concerned about the impact of cities and towns and people not being there,” said one.

They added that the absence of workers in city centres was doing huge damage to businesses ranging from sandwich shops to clothing retailers and newsagents.

Number 10 said on Monday that the formal guidance is “under review”, adding: “What the advice says is that employers should decide in consultation with their workers whether it is viable for them to continue working from home.”

The ambiguity has prompted frustration among business groups, which have called for greater clarity.

Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, which represents UK industry, said that whether office workers could return had become a “really fuzzy area”.

She said: “We have no clarity. Michael Gove [the cabinet office minister] hinted at it, Boris Johnson hinted at it . . . Tell us if offices can go back. We need much more clarity.”

Dame Carolyn added: “Regent Street [in central London] has all its shops open and nobody is in them. That’s because offices haven't gone back. If offices continue to stay away we will have very stressed high streets and local communities.”

Ministers have not changed the formal written guidance partly because there are still concerns about the safety of some workplaces — even though Downing Street insists that many offices are now “Covid secure”.

The government also fears that a sudden jump in the numbers returning to work could overwhelm public transport — a challenge that is particularly acute in London.

London Underground says it would struggle to maintain social distancing at over 25 per cent capacity, even with the distance recently reduced from two metres to one metre.

Many workers are telling their employers that they do not want to have to travel on public transport to get to their offices because of health concerns.

One government figure agreed that there was a “potentially confusing” difference between the formal guidance and the new verbal advice but said: “There is a creative ambiguity there, we want more people to come to work but don’t want a complete return to normal yet.”

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Follow FT's live coverage and analysis of the global pandemic and the rapidly evolving economic crisis here.

Another said the government wanted to leave it to employers and employees to thrash out the best way forward — depending on their circumstances. “The message is go if you think it’s safe but whether it’s safe is up to you the worker, this is open to interpretation.”

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, said: “Sadly we have had mixed messages from this government . . . when people rightly expected and deserved absolute clarity from ministers.”

Last week the Department for Transport removed from its website guidance saying people should avoid public transport to prevent the spread of Covid-19 — although it still says people should work from home if possible.

Scotland has made it mandatory to wear face coverings in shops. While England’s official guidance recommends people wear face coverings in shops and other enclosed spaces, it is not mandatory. © Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Meanwhile Mr Johnson on Monday said people in England “should be wearing face coverings inside shops — in line with existing rules for public transport — as he appeared to soften up the public for an imminent change in advice.

With Scotland having already ordered citizens to cover their faces in shops, the prime minister said the government would decide this week whether “tools of enforcement” were needed to get English people to follow suit.

The intervention appeared to contradict cabinet office minister Michael Gove, who on Sunday said that face coverings should not become mandatory in English shops.

Additional reporting by Daniel Thomas

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2020-07-13 16:56:00Z
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MPs clash over post-Brexit points immigration rule - Social care workers can't get fast track visas - The Sun

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2020-07-13 16:30:01Z
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Boris Johnson: face masks should be worn in shops in England - Guardian News

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Boris Johnson: face masks should be worn in shops in England Guardian News
PM says face coverings ‘should be worn’ in shops BBC News
Confusion over masks policy after UK minister says they should not be compulsory - BBC News BBC News
The message is go back to work. The guidance is stay at home. So that’s clear then The Independent
Face masks should not be made compulsory Telegraph.co.uk
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2020-07-13 16:46:00Z
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'Brexit deal MUST be done this year!' -Labour rejects extension demands in shock statement - Express

Michael Gove has stressed that regardless of the outcome of negotiations with the EU, the Government is determined to leave the single market and customs union on the deadline. His shadow counterpart, Rachel Reeves, appeared to side with the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster on the "vital" need for a Brexit deal to be delivered. This appeared to break with Sir Keir Starmer's previous demands for constant delays when he was Shadow Brexit Secretary under Corbyn's Labour leadership.

Ms Reeves told the House of Commons: "It is vital that businesses and jobs are supported, and that the oven-ready deal that the country was promised is delivered upon this year.

"Yet frankly, many of us are worried about whether the oven was even turned on."

Ms Reeves also pointed to the "extraordinary" contents of a leaked letter from cabinet minister Liz Truss that was addressed to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and Mr Gove.

In the letter, Ms Truss raises concerns about border control post-Brexit, and expresses worry about possible smuggling between the UK and EU.

Despite Sir Keir accepting the December deadline, notable Remainers such as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Scottish Nationalist Party members petitioned the Government to change their minds.

Mr Khan broke ranks with his party and called for the Government to stop “putting dogma ahead of the national interest”.

The SNP had urged Labour and other opposition parties to back an extension to the Brexit transition period until the end of 2022.

However, the UK formally confirmed it would not seek an extension of the Brexit transition period beyond December last month, and the deadline for the request has now passed.

Mr Gove thanked her for her "comittment to working collaboratively" in order to ensure the best possible deal with the EU.

He told Ms Reeves: "It is the case that progress is being made.

"Still there are significant differences between ourselves and the European Union.

"But I did think it was significant and welcome, for example, in the joint committee that they conceded it would no longer be appropriate for the EU to have an office in Northern Ireland.

"This is an example of the flexibility, which I know Michel Barnier and the others are applying in the broader negotiations."

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2020-07-13 16:00:00Z
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