Well, we’re now just over halfway through the latest COVID-19 lockdown, after enjoying a brief window of freedom over the summer. And, of course, we’ve now spent months adjusting – both personally and professionally – to the ‘new normal’ of managing the threat posed by coronavirus infection day-to-day.
While there are glimmers of optimism starting to appear in the form of a number of potential vaccine breakthroughs, it seems certain that we face a few more months of ‘battening down the hatches’ before anything changes significantly from where we are right now.
So, as everyone from schools to shops and care providers works hard to get through what we all knew would be challenging winter months, we thought we’d offer you a little reminder of the help, support and insight we can offer, here at Elliott’s, to help you emerge even stronger on the other side.
Since May, we’ve taken a look at what sectors including care homes, schools, restaurants, pubs, office-based businesses and manufacturers, can do to ensure they are COVID-secure and keep their staff and customers safe.
Below is a reminder of some of our recently-featured themes.
Our free guide to getting back in business
We started off, in May, with some general advice for any organisations looking to ensure their COVID-security and, while subtleties like social distancing being relaxed a little to one metre-plus have changed since, most of this still stands. It’s well worth reading this guide if you’re looking to sense check that you have everything watertight for the winter.
Insights for hotel, restaurant and catering (HORECA) businesses
In June, we took a look at ‘HORECA’, or hotel, restaurant and catering, businesses in particular, as they began opening their doors for the first time. In our blog, we explored the kinds of changes they can make, in a cost-effective way, to give their customers enough confidence to start coming back.
Then, in early August, we tackled the challenges of space which were making it difficult for such businesses to welcome customers back in sufficient numbers to be profitable, and offered some canny insights into how thinking differently about outside space can help solve this conundrum.
And we featured the direct experiences of two of our valued customers, in getting back up to capacity again: the Chamas and Mirage eateries in central Beverley, and the town’s popular Tiger Inn. Tiger landlord Allen Slinger said: “Having been closed for so long, things were obviously getting a bit tight and therefore it was important we made a success of re-opening. We had a real sense of nervous excitement about starting up again and, so far, it’s panning out really well.
“We’ve had plenty of customers through the door and they’ve also been really supportive in asking what we need them to do to help us all make this work. Fundamentally, people are going to respond to places that are clean, safe and secure, and that needs to be your guiding principle.”
Of course, since we wrote these pieces, hospitality businesses have faced another period of lockdown, so it’s even more important to plan and prepare for re-opening again safely when they are given the go-ahead to do so.
Hands up for back to school
In August, we tackled the ‘big return’ of the nation’s pupils to school, with a look at some of the issues teachers and leaders face and what they can do about them to make attending school again as risk-free as possible. Janette said: “Not only do we need to protect pupils, but they are the hub of families, with the potential to infect some of the most vulnerable people – from elderly and medically-vulnerable members of their own families, to teachers with underlying health conditions.
“Minimising this risk will necessitate a fundamental re-think of the way our schools operate – from child sickness policies to class sizes and even accepting cash payments for things like school dinners.”
Keeping the nation supplied – how manufacturers can ensure continuity
Of course, we mustn’t forget the essential role our manufacturers have played over the past six months. Many of them have been busier than ever, despite the pandemic, as consumer demand for items like food and personal protective equipment (PPE) has soared. Maintaining the safety of food items is always important for producers, but in our blog we took a look at the additional measures required of them to be not just food but COVID-safe . However, of course, it’s not just those making food that have to be extra-careful at the present time, and any business making any item for public use is having to provide similar levels of reassurance, something we explored in this piece about COVID-security for general goods manufacturers.
Our Sales & Marketing Executive, Chris Elliott, said: “We would say to any companies needing help with navigating coronavirus-related challenges: ‘get in touch and let us take the strain for you’. We can help with all the logistics around hygiene and managing risk within any business – including a COVID-specific strategy – as well as getting hold of vital supplies through our trusted networks.”
If you need help with things like the above, or any other hygiene challenge, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team via enquiries@elliotthygiene.com or 01482 327580.
