CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 22nd May 2020

Coming out of lockdown and opening up Scotland
The First Minister announced in Parliament how a phased unwinding of restrictions would pan out in Scotland. You can find the full document HERE, with summary tables of what would be included across four distinct phases of easing restrictions. Nothing will change until next Thursday (28 May) when it is planned to move to Phase 1. Here is a summary of the main points, focusing on the issues relevant for the food and drink sector (and personal movements):

• There are no fixed dates for the start of phases 2-4 (but see below for a sense of a likely timetable)
• Everything is conditional on further positive progress in suppressing the disease (R remaining below one and not rising)
• Phase 1 will be implemented on 28 May, presuming no rise in disease risk in the coming days. At this stage, the main change is to the rules on social contact. You will be able to meet one other household providing you are outside (including in a garden) and adhere to distancing. You cannot travel out with your local area to do this or for other leisure activity. There are no major changes to business rules.
• Phase 2: pubs and restaurants can open outdoor areas, with distancing
• Phase 3: pubs and restaurants can open indoor areas, with distancing. Accommodation providers can start to re-open. You can drive beyond your local area for leisure.
• Phase 4: some mass gatherings can begin, subject to public health advice
• On schools, pupils will begin returning from 11 August on a part-time basis
• At all points, home/remote-working is the preferred approach.

Timetable: there are no indicative start dates for each phase. However, the Scottish Government is committed to a three-weekly review as a minimum to determine the ability to move to a new phase (or elements with it). The four dates for three weekly reviews are 28 May, 18 June, 9 July and 30 July. At this stage, it seems optimistic in the extreme that those dates would mark the move to each phase. Ministers have made it clear there may be more than one three-weekly cycle between each phase. Notably, the reference to schools re-opening is in phase 3, which might suggest a working assumption of August before we reach phase 3. Crucially, if R rises or the disease risk is deemed to increase in any way, restrictions would be reintroduced, and we may go back a phase.

Testing update

The UK Government has announced that antibody tests will be made available for the first-time next week. Tests have been secured for devolved nations too, but it is down to Scottish Government to determine priority access. In England, NHS and care workers will be prioritised in the first wave. No decision has been taken yet in Scotland, but it would be safe to assume the same, initial prioritisation approach. So it is unclear when it would be made available to other key workers (such as those in the food supply sector). It is important to note that the antibody test does not guarantee immunity for two reasons: there is no scientific consensus that reinfection is impossible and, secondly, there is no understanding of how long any antibodies remain effective.

The Bare Bones Live – Episode 2 – Butchery in a Digital Age

Hear from the butchers leading the way online on how to easily adapt to the digital age and increase customers by getting to grips with ecommerce and social media.
Interacting online has quickly become the new normal in 2020 and adapting to the digital age has never been more important. So, MRC have collaborated with the butchers we have seen leading the way in digital, social and eCommerce to give an insight into how you can appeal to today's digital customer and increase sales opportunities online.
We're proud to have two of the Team GB 'British Beefeaters' joining us on our panel, Tom Wood and Jessica Leliuga, for the second episode in our exclusive webinar series. Make sure you're not missing out on increased sales and boosted margins from online sales, and log in on Wednesday 27th May at 7:30pm by registering here: