Council commends Carmarthenshire businesses for Covid-19 safety measures

CARMARTHENSHIRE businesses are being commended for their continued efforts to protect their staff and customers against Covid-19.

As restrictions continue to ease across Wales, Carmarthenshire County Council said local hospitality, leisure and personal care providers are doing a great job in providing enhanced safety measures with a high rate of compliance across the county.

Council Covid-19 officers have visited over 1700 businesses since April 1 offering advice and support to staff, and of those only seven visits have resulted in further action being taken giving a 99.6 per cent rate of compliance.

And with further relaxation of restrictions expected in the First Minister’s next review, the council is now supporting businesses to prepare for the move to alert level zero from August 7.

Even at alert level zero there will be restrictions in place – from that date businesses must undertake their own risk assessments and take reasonable measures to ensure the safety of their staff and customers.

This means some restaurants, bars, cafes, shops and personal care premises may still ask customers to wear face coverings, socially distance and adhere to one-way systems, for example.

People would also still be expected to maintain good hygiene and regular hand sanitisation.

Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said he hopes people will respect the requests of each business and show them their support.

“We fully appreciate that people have had enough, but it’s important to stress that Covid-19 has not gone away,” he said. “As Wales moves to alert level zero, hopefully from August 7, we expect a little bit more freedom but we still need to take a shared responsibility for keeping each other safe.

“We are working with businesses to ensure they have the right information and feel supported to make decisions about their premises based on their assessment of risk.

“Businesses are doing an excellent job, we thank them for making these extra efforts – which we know come at a cost – to keep their staff and customers safe.

“What we need is for people to continue their support for our local businesses, and above all respect what they are asking of customers during their visit.”

Further information, advice and guidance for businesses can be found at www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/business

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