Managing covid risk

Contents

• If you provide unpaid support for a friend or family member, read guidance on staying safe on GOV.UK.
• If you're a volunteer, you should read guidance on volunteering during coronavirus on GOV.UK.
• If you're an organisation or group wanting to involve volunteers safely and effectively, read guidance on enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus on GOV.UK.
• If you receive support from a voluntary organisation and want to know what voluntary steps you and the people helping you can do to limit the spread of coronavirus, read guidance on getting help with daily activities outside of your home on GOV.UK. 

Lifting of restrictions: Step 4 of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown

• Under step 4 of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown in England most legal restrictions to control the spread of covid-19 have been lifted. Under step 4 of the roadmap:
• Work – you are no longer instructed to work from home. The government expects and recommends a gradual return to work over the summer. Workplaces have a legal duty to assess and manage health and safety risks including those presented by covid-19. Workplaces should refer to working safely during coronavirus on GOV.UK to understand the risks within their premises and to know what precautions to adopt.
• Volunteering – you can now volunteer in your home, outside of your home and in your workplace. To learn more about volunteering during this time, see our involving volunteers section.
• Meeting others – you no longer need to stay 2m apart from those you do not live with. In order to minimise risk at a time of high prevalence, you should limit the close contact you have with those you do not live with. This includes minimising the number, duration and proximity of social contacts. Where possible, you should meet outdoors and try to let fresh air indoors. If in a crowded or enclosed space, wear a face mask to protect yourself and others. You can meet indoors or outdoors in groups of any size. Read more about keeping yourself and others safe on GOV.UK.
• Travel – You should take precautions to travel safely. This includes:
• Planning your journey and checking your route
• Sanitising your hands regularly
• Opening windows for ventilation where it is possible to do so
• For more information read the safer travel guidance on GOV.UK.
• Holiday – there is no longer a legal restriction or permitted reason required to travel internationally. A traffic light system for international travel has been introduced.
• Some parts of England are receiving further support to stop the spread of covid-19. If your organisation is based in one of these areas, you should:
• Read their local area’s covid-19 information and advice.
• Take particular care to follow the government’s guidance to stay safe and prevent the spread of covid-19.
• Encourage staff and volunteers to get the covid-19 vaccine if they haven't had it already. Read our guidance on the covid-19 vaccination programme.
• Find further information on the lifting of restrictions on GOV.UK.

Covid-19 testing

• Everyone in England can access free, regular, rapid, covid-19 testing. Find a rapid, lateral flow test site in your area. Testing is most effective within three days of symptoms developing.
• Organisations may want to encourage staff and volunteers to take regular rapid lateral flow tests even if they do not have any covid-19 symptoms. This may be particularly useful:
• where individuals have not been fully vaccinated
• during periods of higher risk where people are returning to the workplace
• for close contact or when spending a prolonged period of time with a vulnerable individual.
• There is no law in England that says that staff and volunteers must be tested for covid-19.  
• Employers may want to consider introducing a specific policy to outline their approach to covid-19 testing for staff and volunteers. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development have developed a template mass-testing for covid-19 policy which adopts a voluntary approach. 
• If as an employer you want to require staff and/or volunteers to regularly test for covid-19, see our guidance on:
• staff and covid-19 testing
• covid-19 testing for volunteers.

• Anyone with symptoms should order a PCR test and stay at home. If a person does not have symptoms, they can find a rapid, lateral flow test site in their area or from a local chemist. Alternatively, organisations can pay an approved provider to provide tests or run a test site.
• If a role is seen as being an essential worker role, they can be prioritised for PCR testing through a self-referral portal. They must be self-isolating because either they or member(s) of their household have covid-19 symptoms. The employer needs to upload the names and contact details of self-isolating essential workers to the government’s secure employer referral portal. Access to this includes volunteer essential workers. Learn more about getting tested on GOV.UK.

Covid-19 vaccination programme

• An effective vaccine is the best way to protect people from covid-19. Public Health England have a range of resources on the covid-19 vaccines.
• Covid-19 vaccines have been given to priority groups identified by the government’s Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
• Covid-19 vaccines are being delivered by: 

• hospital hubs 
• local vaccination service sites run by a mixture of primary care networks and community pharmacies
• vaccination centres located in large-scale venues.
• If you're over 18 and registered with a GP surgery in England, you can book a covid-19 vaccination. You can register with a GP if you do not have one.
• You can book your vaccination on the NHS website however:
• If you've had your first dose of the vaccine, you need to wait 24 hours before you can book your second dose.
• If you've had a covid-19 positive test, you need to wait four weeks from the date you had your test before booking an appointment.
• If you're under 40, you will only be shown appointments for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
• Double vaccinated people are not legally required to self-isolate if they're identified as a close contact of a positive covid-19 case.
• Young people and double vaccinated individuals identified as close contacts are advised to take a PCR test, to detect the virus and variants of concern. Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test is legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status.
• It's not yet clear how long people who are vaccinated will be protected from covid-19. There's evidence to suggest it reduces the risk of transmission.
• Once you've been vaccinated, you should still follow government guidance to help keep you and others safe on GOV.UK.
• Find out about what to expect after your covid-19 vaccination on GOV.UK.

Working safely during covid-19

All organisations, including charities, are allowed to open. With the lifting of the restriction to work from home where you can, employers are still legally required to identify and and take sensible precautions to manage health and safety risks, including those posed by covid-19.

• Employers should follow guidance on working safely during coronavirus on GOV.UK to consider and manage the specific risks relevant to their setting. Common guides which may be used by voluntary organisations include:
  • shops, branches and close contact settings
  • providers of grassroots sport and gym/leisure facilities.
• There is specific government advice for businesses and organisations providing home care, supported living services and education and childcare.
• Our Trusted Supplier Zurich insurance has produced a guide that includes a checklist of return to work considerations as well as information about working from home.

Carrying out a covid-19 workplace risk assessment

• Before restarting work, organisations must ensure the safety of their workplace by carrying out a risk assessment. 
• Employers may have a generic risk assessment but it is unlikely to be detailed enough to properly identify and mitigate the risks associated with covid-19. NCVO members can download a generic risk assessment template for charities on NCVO Knowhow.
• Risk assessments should be in line with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance including guidance on what to consider in your covid-19 risk assessment. 
• There is a legal obligation to write down your risk assessment if you have five employees or more. If you have fewer than five employees you don’t have to write anything down, but it might help if you do.
• Employers should ensure that they consider the risks to employees who are clinically vulnerable. Read guidance on protecting vulnerable workers during coronavirus on HSE’s website.
• Employers must consult with the health and safety representative selected by a recognised trade union or, if there isn’t one, a representative chosen by workers.
• Employers should also talk to and consult their staff and volunteers as they're doing their risk assessments. They may provide useful feedback.
• Once completed, the risk assessment should be shared with staff and volunteers. Employers may also want to consider publishing their risk assessments on their website.
• Employers should put monitoring and supervision mechanisms in place, to make sure the controls that have been put in place are working as they should be.

Reducing risks with your team

• If staff and volunteers have returned to the workplace, there are additional ways to reduce the risk of spreading covid-19. These include:
• alternating who is in the workplace in fixed teams
• changing working hours to reduce the amount of time people are on premises
• staggering staff and or volunteer arrival and or departure times
• if possible, meeting outside if meetings need to take place between people who don’t normally work together
• keeping social distancing measures and/or the wearing of face masks in place, if it feels appropriate for clinically vulnerable staff or volunteers.

Cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures

• Cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures are key to reducing the risk of coronavirus in the workplace. HSE has produced guidance on cleaning, hygiene and using hand sanitiser.
• Consider providing handwashing facilities or hand sanitisers at entry and exit points.
• Workplaces can share information with employees and volunteers on good hand washing techniques. The NHS has produced guidance on how to wash your hands.
• The National Eczema Society has offered advice on handwashing techniques for people with eczema and other skin conditions.
• You may need to increase the level and frequency of cleaning to ensure that all surfaces and equipment are clean. Pay close attention to frequently-touched objects like door handles and keyboards. Your cleaning regime should be determined by your risk assessment. HSE have produced guidance on cleaning the workplace. 
• It is important for people to cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin. You can download a ’Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ poster  (PDF, 940KB) for your workplace from the NHS.

Ensuring sufficient ventilation in your workplace

• Employers are required by law to make sure that there is an adequate supply of fresh air in enclosed areas of the workplace.
• Ventilation helps reduce the amount of virus in the air. It reduces the risk of spreading covid-19 by aerosol transmission. This transmission happens when someone breathes in small particles in the air (aerosols) after a person with the virus has been in the same enclosed area.
• You can reduce the risk of aerosol transmission:
• naturally by allowing fresh air to come in through open windows, door or air vents
• mechanically by bringing air in through fans and ducts.
• In your risk assessment you need to identify poorly ventilated areas using HSE guidance.
• Your ventilation is likely to be adequate to reduce the risk of covid-19 transmission if the rooms or spaces in your workplace:
• are used within the occupancy limits specified in the building design
• have a sufficient fresh air supply to meet the current minimum building standard.
• Read guidance on ventilation and air conditioning during the coronavirus pandemic on HSE’s website.

Use of personal protective equipment

• The use of PPE is only required for certain healthcare activities.
• PPE does not include face coverings and face masks. See our guidance for the use of face covering and face masks.
• In non-clinical settings you can provide the same PPE as you did before the pandemic.
• If your risk assessment does show that PPE is required, then you must provide this PPE free of charge to staff and volunteers who need it. HSE has developed guidance on using PPE at work.  

Use of face coverings and face masks

• In England, the requirement in law to wear face coverings has been lifted.
• The government expects and recommends that face coverings are worn in crowded spaces such as on public transport.
• Face covering needs to cover your mouth and nose. The government has developed guidance on how to wear a face covering.

NHS Covid Pass

• Organisations in high risk settings such as the NHS, social care and prisons are encouraged to use the NHS Covid Pass as a condition of entry in order to reduce the risk of covid-19. In particular, the Pass can be useful in settings where people are going to be in close proximity to others outside their household.
• If you are aged over 18 you can get an NHS Covid Pass for travel abroad and domestic events depending on your vaccination status or covid-19 test result.
• A digital version of the NHS Covid Pass is available using the NHS app or online NHS Covid Pass service. You will need your NHS number. You should check the expiry date before using it.
• An NHS Covid Pass letter can be sent to you by post. You can use your letter at venues in England where you need to prove your covid-19 status two weeks after you have been fully vaccinated. You can request a Covid Pass letter online or call 119 (do not call if you are travelling in more than four weeks time). The letter does not have an expiry date.

Supporting NHS Test and Trace

• NHS Test and Trace helps reduce the spread of covid-19 by finding people who have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. Find out more about NHS Test and Trace and how it prevents the spread of covid-19 on GOV.UK.
• Hospitality, tourism and leisure venues, close contact services, places of worship and local authority facilities (including community centres, libraries and village halls) are encouraged to:
• keep records of all staff working on their premises each day, their shift times and their contact details as well as any customers or visitors.
• keep these records for 21 days, share them with NHS Test and Trace if asked, and securely dispose of or delete them after 21 days.
• These venues should:
• Ask every member of every group of customers or visitors aged over 16 for their contact details, including:
• name
• phone number, or if this is not available an email or postal address
• date of visit
• arrival time and, if possible, departure time
• the name of their assigned staff member, if they have one.
• Venues should encourage people to give their details and advise them that their information will only be used to stop the spread of covid-19.
• In England, people can give these details by checking in using an official NHS QR poster. Find out more about NHS QR codes and how to make them on the NHS covid-19 app website. However, you should have a way for people without a smartphone to give their contact details too.
• Each person is responsible for making sure their contact details are correct.  
• When collecting this information, venues must follow General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
• Contact details are personal data. You must follow GDPR rules to protect people’s privacy. Read the government’s guidance on GDPR.
• The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published its own detailed guidance on collecting customer and visitor details for contact tracing.
• The ICO has also issued a blog for community groups and COVID-19: what you need to know about data protection.
• NHS Test and Trace or public health officers will only ask for these records if necessary, for example if your premises has been the location of a potential covid-19 outbreak. You and your staff must not share these records with anyone else.
• In the event of an outbreak linked to a venue, individuals who checked in will receive an alert. Venue alerts are only triggered when there are two or more cases at a venue. Find out more about venue alerts and what you need to do on GOV.UK.