Prime Mister’s statement in the House of Commons 22 September
Statement is available here.
The most relevant measures for museums and galleries are:
Working from home
To help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so. Public sector employees working in essential services should continue to go into work where necessary. Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work. The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.
Hospitality – including cafes and restaurants within museums and galleries
Regulations will be introduced to mandate the following:
- Food or drink for consumption on the premises can only be served to customers sitting at a table.
- 10pm closure for businesses selling food or drink (including cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants) etc.
Face coverings
Regulations will be introduced to mandate the following:
- A legal requirement to remind customers of the need to wear face coverings where they are already required unless exempt, for example through prominent display of signs, and/or verbal reminders to customers. Face coverings are already mandatory in museums and galleries, except for those who are exempt.
- Face coverings will be mandatory for customers and staff in indoor hospitality (except when seated at a table to eat or drink); face coverings will be mandatory for staff in retail settings. This includes restaurants, cafes and shops within museums.
Key Updates From DCMS Museums and Galleries Sector Coronavirus bulletin 21 September
NEW NHS Test and Trace: requirement to maintain records
- From 18 September it is mandatory for museums, galleries and certain other businesses to have a system to collect NHS Test and Trace data, and to ask customers to provide these details. Businesses are required to retain these details for 21 days.
- From 24 September, museums and galleries must display an official NHS QR code poster so that customers and visitors can scan the QR code using their NHS COVID-19 App. This is an optional alternative to providing contact details.
- The regulations are here.
- This means that for designated venues if there is more than one person in a group, then the venue should either record:
- the names and contact details of all members of the group who have not checked in using the QR code; or
- the name and contact details of a ‘lead member’ of the group, and the number of people in the group.
- if the whole group chooses to check-in using the QR code, then the venue need not take the name or contact details of any member of the group.
- If the details of the visitors have already been collected online then there is no need for visitors to give details again or check in with the QR code. They may wish to check in with the QR code anyway, because of its added benefits, but that would be up to them.
- There is a duty to deny entry to customers and visitors who do not provide the relevant information, unless they have checked in using the QR code. This means that:
- all the visitors can be admitted, provided that at least one of the group provides their name and contact details and agrees to be the ‘lead member’, or all of the group have checked in using the QR code.
- if no member of a group provides their name and contact details, all the group must be refused entry, with the exception of individuals who check-in using the QR code.
- The regulations also contain the following:
- a duty on all designated venues to have a record of all staff working on the premises on a given day, the time of their shift, and their contact details.
- a duty on all designated venues to hold staff, customer and visitor details for 21 days, and to make these available to NHS Test and Trace or local authority public health officials, if requested.
- fixed penalties for businesses that do not meet these requirements.
NEW ICO guidance: 18/09
- The Information Commissioner’s Office has published data protection guidance for organisations mandated to collect customer and visitor information.
NEW Cafes and restaurants: requirement to enforce the rule of 6: 18/09
- Cafes and restaurants in England, including those within museums and galleries, are now legally required to enforce the rule of 6 or face a fine of up to £4,000.
- The regulations are here.
NEW Guided tours
- In museums and galleries in England, guided tours of up to 30 people are allowed, as long as the rule of 6 is obeyed, that is, each group must consist of no more than 6 people (unless it is a family group or supportive bubble).
- In practice this means that social distancing has to be respected at all times between groups – so that if someone is in a group of (up to) 6 people, they have to stick with that group all the time, and can’t join another group, or mingle with other individuals or groups.
- Within that group of 6, social distancing rules must be respected if the people in it are not from the same household or support bubble.
- The tour guide does not count towards the numerical limits, due to the work exemption.
- School groups are exempt from the rule of 6.
NEW Local restrictions: areas with an outbreak of coronavirus: 21/09
- A list of areas with additional local restrictions. Includes information for local authorities, residents and workers about what to do and how to manage the outbreak.
NEW New Weston Culture Fund Coming Soon: 09/09
- The Garfield Weston Foundation is finalising details for the one-off Weston Culture Fund which will launch on 5 October via their website and twitter.
- The £25 million fund is designed to support mid to large scale cultural organisations in the UK to help them restart work, re-engage with audiences, adapt to changed circumstances and generate revenue. The fund is specifically for charitable organisations with a pre-Covid regular annual income of £500,000 or greater; smaller organisations will be able to apply for our regular grants programme via our website as usual.
- Closing date for applications: 9 November. Decisions announced by end of January 2021
Reopening museums
National guidance on reopening museums post-lockdown is available and updated regularly. Visit our dedicated web page here
Business Support
Business Support website
The UK Government is supporting businesses and their employees through a package of measures during this period of unprecedented disruption. The Business Support website helps businesses find the right support, advice and information to help with the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Acas
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) Coronavirus advice for employers and employees has been updated and can be viewed here
They are also hosting Coronavirus advisory webinars for employers. These free webinars will provide practical advice for employers to help manage the impact of Coronavirus in the workplace. View more details and register your place here.
Sector Information and Support
Arts Council England (ACE)
The latest advice, guidance and emergency funding measures the Arts Council, government and several external organisations have put in place to address the Covid-19/coronavirus crisis can be found here
Association of Independent Museums (Aim)
Aim has a web page which covers a range of advice and guidance and is regularly updated. Visit the web page here
They also have a range of support exclusively for AIM members which includes:
- Aim Hallmarks at Home
- ‘The HR Dept’ HR helpline for members, plus advice for staff
- Online Advice Surgeries
If you are an independent museum and Aim member we strongly encourage you to access the support available.
Museums Association
National Archives
The National Archives has issued guidance for archive services which can be found here.
NCVO
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has produced a summary page of advice and guidance on its web pages and can be found here
They have also made their member-only resources free to everyone because of the current situation and can be accessed here
Amongst these resources you can find further information and support on Risk Management including Zurich’s full guidance on pandemic planning, along with a checklist that can be used to plan for a pandemic and minimise its impact. Read more here
Key coronavirus legal issues for charities explained – a recent webinar with the experts from Bates Wells solicitors providing advice on contracts, finances and the new furlough scheme. You can watch on demand here.
Data Protection and Coronavirus – If your staff are working remotely, you may need to create new procedures and consider how extra care may be taken to secure information. Hope & May has put together some guidance for organisations and can be read in full here
Roots HR
Roots HR Community Interest Company is the UK’s specialist consultancy for human resources and health and safety services for social sector. They provide 1 hour FREE Human Resources consultancy services to leaders and managers working in social sector. View their voucher and contact details here
Their consultants have put together some simple and free tools to support employers with home working which include:
- a form of words for formalising the change in contractual terms with your employees
- a Display Screen Checklist for employees
Key Information Sources
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): UK government response – Sign up for email alerts
- COVID-19: guidance for employers and businesses
- Public Health England
- NHS guidance
- FCO Travel advice
- Government Action Plan
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