Under Phase 2 of the UK Government's Covid-19 recovery strategy roadmap, non-essential stores were supposed to open in phases starting on Monday. In the event, only open-air markets (and some car showrooms) actually opened, with the vast majority of retailers delayed until 15 June.
Article today at the Constitution Unit. Did you know how many policies Dominic Cummings has affected and the biggest of which affecting business is Leaving the EU.
Read the article from the American Institute for Economic Research by Jeffrey A. Tucker.
Up to £2 million of potential new opportunities to help fleet. Inshore fishers who usually target shellfish will now be able to diversify into new markets and access fishing opportunities worth up to £2 million.
Extra cash in the pockets of low income families Eligible parents of children aged four and five are being encouraged to apply for financial support worth £250. The one-off £250 payment is currently open to eligible families with a child who was born between 1 March 2015 and 29 February 2016 and who is old enough to start primary one this year.
Services to be restored safely and gradually based on clinical advice. NHS Scotland will begin resuming some services that have been suspended, delayed or deferred due to coronavirus (COVID-19), whilst continuing to protect emergency, urgent and maternity care.
Funding for Virtual Nature School. Children and families are to benefit from expert guidance on learning and play in an outdoor environment during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
Protecting data as part of Test and Protect. Information used by NHS Scotland contact tracers will be safely and securely gathered as part of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Test and Protect approach.
Increased investment in new national centre. An additional £20 million has been announced for the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), bringing total Scottish Government investment to £75 million.
A poll found a high level of support for testing measures to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The survey, carried out days before NHS Scotland's Test and Protect was rolled out across the country, showed 91% of adults in Scotland recognised the importance of testing while 89% agreed that staying home helped to save lives.
Businesses across the UK who are making efforts to get back to business are facing a new uphill struggle - employees claiming stress and anxiety or are simply requesting outright to be furloughed for another 3 months. Workers who were furloughed back in April are being gradually invited back to work, although some are being asked to work from home.
The COVID-19 small business and self-catering grant schemes, set up to help companies stay in business during the coronavirus crisis, have now paid out £59,628,750 to over 5500 Highland businesses. The Council has now processed 99% of the applications received since the grant schemes opened.
Works on the Inverness West Link Stage 2 were suspended on the 24 March 2020 following COVID-19 guidance from the Scottish Government. The Highland Council has been in dialogue with Contractors RJ McLeod and has agreed that essential works are required to begin to address safety issues but primarily the works to be undertaken are to provide for physical distancing and encourage active travel, walking, wheeling and cycling as part of, and to augment the successful Spaces for People project.
Subsea 7 issued further details of the cost reduction programme, following initial guidance provided on 30 April 2020. It is envisaged that the overall reduction in headcount would be approximately 3,000 from the global workforce of 12,000, by the end of the second quarter 2021.
Blueprint for safe return to classes. Detailed guidance on practical measures to allow schools to re-open on 11 August has been published.
American Foulbrood found near Blairgowrie. An outbreak of American Foulbrood (AFB) has been found in an apiary near Blairgowrie.
Physical distancing and staying at home still key to tackling COVID-19. Changes to Scotland's lockdown restrictions have been confirmed today by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The Highland Council's Environmental Health Team is advising consumers to use their water wisely and check their private water supply systems for any signs of water leaks or risks of contamination. A private water supply is a property that does not have a Scottish Water mains water connection.
The Highland Council is assessing the implications of the First Minister's announcements made on the 21st May about the first stage relaxation of lockdown, concerning teachers and other education staff returning to the workplace during June to prepare for the return to school and settings on 11th August. Highland Council's Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: "The return to workplace and Highland schools for our Education staff will have to be undertaken carefully and gradually.