The Prime Minister’s announcement on that day changed our lives completely. 12 months and three national lockdowns later, many of us will have friends, colleagues and family members we haven’t seen in what feels an eternity.

There have been major implications for workers in this time, too. A lot of people have found themselves on furlough for a significant proportion, while many others have, unfortunately, been made redundant.

Thanks to a strong collective national effort, particularly in regards to the development and subsequent rollout of vaccines, the outlook now looks a lot more positive. Nearly 30 million people have now had their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while daily numbers of cases, hospital admissions and deaths are steadily declining.

Despite this, we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas as a nation. Another wave of Covid-19 infections across Europe is resulting in lockdown measures being reintroduced in some countries, providing a stark warning of how quickly the situation can deteriorate if we’re not collectively sensible in our approach moving forward.

While the vaccination numbers are encouraging, a vast majority of those still require a second dose, and there is still a significant proportion of the population yet to be vaccinated. Therefore, there is still a long way to go to achieve herd immunity, and even longer still before we come out the other side of this pandemic.

As such, it is imperative we continue to adhere to Covid-safe procedures, particularly as more parts of society begin to open up again in the coming months and more people return to the workplace as a result.

If you’d like to find out how you can make your workplace Covid-safe ahead of returning to the workplace, get in touch with us today.

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Vast swathes of the economy are currently idle, stuck in a nightmarish limbo which prevents them from trading. Sadly, without swift, efficient solutions to the testing fiasco, many businesses risk total annihilation. The arrival of a vaccine had many celebrating but its lengthy delivery has already dampened the mood.   

News that NHS England and NHS Improvement are ‘planning on the assumption it could vaccinate up to 25 million people with two doses throughout 2021’ is still hugely positive. When combined with an expanded flu vaccination programme, it will help account for an additional 64.1 million vaccinations compared to 2019-20. These are astonishing numbers for a 12-month programme and no small feat.  

Impressive as that is, it fails to address the immediate problems for a worrying-high number of businesses. Frustratingly for them, the numbers do not suggest a quick return to life-before-the-pandemic. Instead, it’s likely to be a long, expensive road before there’s any real, impactful end to the current situation.  

‘We need more testing, it’s as simple as that,’ explains Nick Baxter, founder of Covid Safe UK, a collective of businesses helping other organisations build safe, Covid-secure environments for their workforces. 

‘The government needs to have a better strategy to deliver comprehensive testing programmes. Businesses across the country are absorbing the costs of testing themselves, that’s a necessity if they’re to continue servicing their clients, but the general public needs access to these kits too.  

‘We understand the costs, Covid Safe UK’s Rapid Covid Tests are available at a third of their usual price but that’s still £49 per test or a pack of 20 for £500. If we’re to get the economy moving though, it’s a necessary cost but it’s not something the majority of us can afford to do. That’s why we need more support from the government. It’s the only way to get consumers safely back on the high streets and supporting these businesses.’ 

The costs associated with the UK’s COVID-19 response have been well documented, as has many of the projected costs to come. To put the requirements of a vaccine roll out into perspective, NHS England and NHS Improvement calculate that if three-quarters of the adult population had two doses of vaccine it would need a total of 46,000 NHS staff, with 26,000 of them administering the injection.  

‘That’s why we must look at Rapid Covid Tests as a primary short-term solution to the devastating, long-term impacts on our economy,’ adds Baxter. ‘It’s the only option if we’re to save the hospitality and leisure industries, who simply will not survive another year like this.’ 

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Cases have been rising sharply in areas such as London and Kent, with the capital due to enter tier 3 restrictions. As part of Public Health England‘s monitoring, more than 1,000 cases of the new variant were identified.

This news has led to people worrying about whether existing efforts to combat the virus will still be effective with the new variant, particularly in regards to the rollout of a vaccine. Public Health England and their partners are investigating further to see if the new Covid strain is more contagious, while it is not believed to be any more serious if you do contract it.

It is important to remember that it is common for viruses to mutate. The seasonal flu, for example, can mutate every year, meaning vaccines often have to be adapted. As such, potential mutation of COVID-19 has always been a consideration.

The same things that have been working against the original Coronavirus strain, such as sanitisation, will continue to work for the new strain. As such, it is essential to keep up everything we’ve been doing throughout the pandemic, such as washing hands and wearing face masks, as these will be no less effective against the new strain.

Covid Safe UK offer a range of products to product your employees and customers against viruses, ranging from PPE, hand sanitiser and safety screens through to sanitising foggers and tunnels. If you’d like to find out more about our Covid Safety solutions, get in touch with the team today.

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An addition to this, though, bubbles are an effective way of preventing the virus from spreading amongst your employees, particularly if your business employs a lot of people. It is essentially a way of dividing your workforce into groups of people who will be working together, keeping them separate from other employees with whom they are less likely to need to work alongside.

Splitting your team into bubbles helps with the management of any positive COVID-19 cases within the workplace, as it reduces the amount of contact people have with others. This prevents larger numbers of staff being forced to isolate as a group in the event of a positive case, ultimately reducing its impact on the business.

You could create these bubbles in line with departments, or by which area of your premises the people work in.

It will likely be possible for managers to further divide their teams by forming the smallest practical groups which can be achieved. A micro-bubble may be formed by people working on the same shift pattern or within the same confined area, for example.

Even when in an assigned bubble, it is important that social distancing guidelines are still adhered to where possible, so as to protect colleagues and their families.

Bubble management is just one of many ways of creating a COVID safe workplace. If you’d like to find out more about measures and products you can utilise to protect your team, get in touch with Covid Safe UK today.

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Reassurance seemed to be the key behind the current guidance of compulsory mask-wearing – reducing the chance of individuals passing the virus on to others.

However, there are now masks available that protect the wearer of the mask, as well as those they come into contact with, in the form of the Intercept CU22 mask. Thanks to its polymerised copper structures, which is scientifically proven to kill viruses and bacteria unlike silver or zinc bases systems, which only are effective against Bacteria, these masks provide an effective barrier against viruses such as COVID-19. As such, it is the first fully-tested mask designed to actively protect the wearer.

These masks use filters that prevent 99% of droplets from passing through the mask and are made from only the highest quality materials, so that no loose fibres are inhaled, which can be a problem with cheaper single-use masks.

Alternatively, there is a more basic option in the form of our branded multi-use preventative face masks. These elasticated masks offer comfort for the user as well as a high level of filtration and can feature your business’s logo and brand colours meaning you can represent your brand in front of customers while giving peace of mind around COVID-19 safety.

There is also a fluid-repellent option for these masks, giving increased protection for the wearer as well as those around them. As well as being comprised of 100% fluid-repellent polyester, they also have a soft, anti-microbial inner layer to provide comfort.

Which mask is for me?

If your team are providing essential work in enclosed spaces, such as working in healthcare, the Intercept CU22 is a great option. Its proficiency for protecting the user and those they come into contact with means that you can continue to operate with a reduced chance of losing employees, and therefore business, to the virus.

If you are working in a customer-facing environment where your employees can keep a reasonably safe distance away from customers, the protective face masks might be more appropriate for you. These will put your customers at ease while creating increased exposure to your brand.

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Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. Most of those infected with the virus will experience mild respiratory illness, with no need for special treatment or hospitalisation, and some people won’t develop any symptoms whatsoever – this is known asymptomatic.

Older people, however, as well as those with pre-existing health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease are more likely to become seriously ill.

We need to understand the virus if we are to combat it. The concern about Covid-19 is not necessarily how lethal it is, but more around how it spreads. It is highly transmissible, primarily spreading through droplets of saliva as well as through coughing and sneezing. This is why we have seen the introduction of social distancing measures and compulsory face mask wearing. Washing your hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser regularly is also recommended to help protect yourself and others.

We are likely to be living with this virus for some time, so it is important we create Covid-safe workplaces in the interests of our own safety and that of our colleagues and employees.

There are a variety of solutions for multiple different work settings, ranging from hand sanitiser dispensers through to disinfectant tunnels and foggers.

If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with Covid Safe UK today.

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