Supporting businesses to stay safer
Havering Council’s enforcement and public protection teams have been out in force working tirelessly help keep business and residents Covid 19 secure.
Throughout the Covid 19 pandemic, officers have visited and talked to businesses to ensure they had the right measures in place to keep their staff and customers safe.
This work has continued into the recovery from coronavirus including keeping the local shopping centres up-to-date with the latest rules for Covid compliance.
Officers have been patrolling town centres and high streets across the borough, with a focus on checking and supporting high-risk businesses such as barbers, hairdressers, pubs, bars and restaurants.
They look to see that they are following the rules to protect both the customers and themselves.
This includes making sure businesses such as pubs and restaurants are checking customer details to support the NHS test and trace system.
Visits are followed up and they speak to businesses about any difficulties they find themselves up against, in complying with the guidelines.
Advice is then given by the officers on how businesses can comply so that they can remain open and continue to welcome residents and visitors safely on to their premises.
Our officers continually monitor what the government guidelines are and advise businesses accordingly when there are any changes or new announcements made.
During recent months, the teams have:
- followed up nearly 500 reports on concerns over possible Covid-related breaches
- carried out over 1,240 visits to businesses
- added an extra 100 shifts to daily patrols
Councillor Viddy Persaud, Havering’s Cabinet Member, said:
“The work of our enforcement and public protection officers is crucial to help our local businesses and high streets remain open and help them be safe for residents and customers to visit.
“It is vital that we all work together to do this, so supporting our local high streets and town centres is a key aspect of the work these teams do.
“This goes alongside our public health campaign, ‘#DoingMyBit’, which continues to remind residents and business of the actions they must take to keep themselves and our communities safe.
“If we all do our bit then we can keep each other as safe as possible as we continue the fight against Covid 19.”