Use of Our Community Buildings Under Step 4 of the Roadmap
The Government has now reached Step 4 of its roadmap on lifting all Covid-19 restrictions from today (19 July) so the requirement for social distancing and precautionary measures being taken now moves from mandatory to advisory.
It is however recommended that local government authorities like ourselves should ask that cautious guidance still be followed as much as possible since the pandemic is not yet over and cases are still rising. In terms of use of the Council offices and our community buildings, we are recommending that face masks still be worn in all communal areas of the building where space is limited, ie. foyer, kitchen, toilets etc. For Councillors and staff, we are also extending these recommendations when entering or leaving the offices, the Edmonds Hall or the building itself.
For our Council and other meetings, we will always ensure that the hall is well ventilated and sanitisers will also be readily available. We also feel it is in everyone’s safety for us to space the seating out as much as possible where numbers allow and this will enable face masks to be removed once everyone is seated. This has worked very well in the past and where, for example, Members from one household can sit together and those who have been double-vaccinated can also group together.
It has also been recommended that our venue check-in system should continue to be used for NHS Test & Trace purposes and we therefore ask all Councillors, staff, hall hirers and visitors to scan the QR code on their smartphone on entry to the building or to leave to their contact details to be recorded manually.
We hope the above information is helpful as we all work together and continue to act responsibility in the interests of health and safety.
