Businesses ‘need more support to survive in local lockdowns’
MINISTERS HAVE been told businesses want better communication, extra support and improved coronavirus test-and-trace services to help cope with the impact of local lockdowns.
The Confederation of British Industry called for more clarity on what will trigger a lockdown and the improvements needed for one to be lifted.
Calling for a “no surprises” approach, the leading business organisation said firms’ reaction to the Government’s handling of local lockdowns so far had been “mixed at best”.
And it set out a six-point plan to build confidence for those businesses, local authorities and communities affected, if other areas within Yorkshire and Humber come under further temporary restrictions.
The CBI said any local restrictions should be set out during working hours, following criticism of Matt Hancock’s late-night announcement of restrictions on Greater Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire.
With firms already suffering because of the impact of coronavirus, the CBI warned it was vital that further local lockdowns were handled properly because “business resilience is lower than it has ever been, with cash and stockpiles run down”.
Other suggestions include improving access to data trigger points for restrictions and stepping up test-and-trace efforts.
The CBI’s regional director for Yorkshire and Humber, Beckie Hart, said: “The Government rightly needs to act fast on new information, so there will be limited notice, but we must aim for a ‘no surprises’ approach as far as possible.
“It would be fair to say that the local business reaction has been mixed at best on how they have gone so far.
“Not all restrictions are one size fits all, as we have seen from the full lockdown in Leicester and the household-based restrictions in West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and elsewhere.”
The news comes as a survey by medical firm Medichecks found that almost half of people aged 25 to 34 said they would flout rules in a second coronavirus lockdown.