The Scottish Government has announced that further restrictions will apply across a range of settings from 26 December. Full detail can be seen on the Scottish Government website.
Additional restrictions, together with a lack of meaningful financial support, remains a source of intense frustration for Chamber members.
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: "Businesses have done everything asked of them and more. As has the general public, yet still it seems not to be enough.
"Companies across Scotland that have already lost billions of pounds in trade due to the return of restrictions today got confirmation of yet more from Boxing Day.
"At risk from these decisions are our air connectivity as a nation, the very existence of our high streets and huge productivity declines in companies forced to make their staff work remotely to name just three.
"The business support announced so far is a drop in the ocean compared to the money lost. Despite the inadequacy of funding, it’s essential that the cash reaches businesses now."
What is changing?
From 0500 on 26 December: Attendance at large events will be limited to 100 people for indoor standing events, to 200 people for indoor seated events, and to 500 people for all outdoor events seated or standing. Organisers of large professional sporting fixtures will have discretion over whether to admit spectators up to these limits.
From 0500 on 27 December: There will be a requirement for one metre physical distancing between adults in all indoor hospitality and leisure settings, including:
- pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and other settings where food and drink is served for consumption on-site
- leisure settings including gyms, theatres, cinemas, bingo and snooker halls and bowling alleys
- museums, galleries and other visitor attractions
Furthermore, table service will be required in settings where alcohol is served for consumption on the premises.
Covid passports back on the table
The Scottish Government also outlined that Ministers will consider how COVID certification could be expanded to cover a wider range of indoor settings to support them remaining open once the booster programme is complete.
AGCC and the wider Scottish Chambers network were strongly opposed to the expansion of certification or ‘vaccine passports’ when it was initially proposed in November. Chamber research suggested the scheme would further impact businesses in the worst-affected sectors, while effectively barring around a third of young people from venues.
Business support
In terms of business support, The First Minister confirmed that between decisions made to reallocate funds in the Scottish Budget and additional consequentials from the UK Government’s spending decisions, the total package of business support will stand at £375M.
The full breakdown of this package is still to come, and we expect additional guidance on the coming days on how this will apply to specific sectors.
However, for hospitality firms, detail is now available on the December / January business support top-up grants.
The grants will be a one-off payment of:
- £4,500 for premises which have a rateable value of up to and including £51,000, or
- £6,800 for premises have a rateable value of £51,001 or above
Eligibility is restricted to public houses, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, hotels with bars and restaurants, or other licensed premises classed as hospitality.
In the first instance, local authorities will contact businesses directly if they previously received a payment through the Strategic Business Framework Fund.
For new businesses who have not received such a payment, initial detail on eligibility is available at the following link and further information on applications will be provided in early January.
UK-wide support
The UK Government also announced a package of business support today. Many of the new measures announced are specific to England, with the exception of the return of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate scheme. This allows employers to claim for the cost of up to two weeks of SSP per employee due to sickness absence caused by COVID-19.
The scheme will apply from 21 December and claims are due to open from mid-January.
A factsheet on the SSP scheme, detailing eligibility, duration and other points, is available here.