Business groups are demanding more certainty on the Government's 'Plan B' for more Covid measures in England if the Government's winter plan fails to keep the virus under control.
Today Prime Minister Boris Johnson and health secretary Sajid Javid revealed the Government's "Plan A" Covid winter measures, including a rollout of booster jabs.
Mr Javid revealed there was also a "Plan B", including possible mask mandates and encouragement to work from home, that could be introduced if the virus surged again. That message was repeated by the Prime Minister at a press conference tonight.
Read more: Government's autumn and winter plan for Covid - what it means for businesses in England
Mr Johnson also said he believed younger workers in particular benefited from being in the office.
But the British Chambers of Commerce say businesses are frustrated at the lack of information in when those Plan B measures could come into effect.
Claire Walker, Co-Executive Director of the BCC, said: "Businesses will be encouraged by the announcements around further steps being taken to protect people from Covid and reduce its spread as we move into the winter season.
“But they will be frustrated by the inability of the Government to give them any detail around what circumstances could lead to new restrictions and what support firms could get.
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“Many businesses have adapted and adjusted to keep our economy moving forward. They have been getting on with the job, despite a lack of clarity around guidance which means they are still negotiating a legal minefield.
“They desperately want to know what support they will be offered if the worst happens. We would also like to see furlough - and other support measures - put permanently on the shelf so they can be activated if there is a further lockdown. It’s a system that is proven to work in Germany and ensures business has the confidence to keep investing.
“We are not asking the government to look into a crystal ball and predict the future in minute detail. We are simply asking that they give businesses the assurance as to what will happen if the pandemic spikes again and that they will not be left behind."
Ms Walker said the aviation industry needed to be kept up to date on any changes to the traffic light system for international travel.
She added: “Our latest economic forecast suggests business investment is falling, and with the new national insurance levy introduced last week, firms need to know there aren’t going to be any more surprises.
“A proper contingency plan should give businesses the confidence they need to move on from just surviving to growing, thriving and leading the way out of the coronavirus crisis.”
Tania Bowers, legal counsel and head of public policy at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies, said: “Although it is understandable that the trajectory of the pandemic remains a relative ‘unknown’, as our second Covid winter approaches the lack of clarity around many aspects of the guidance is only exacerbating the uncertainty that many employers and individuals across the 海角视频 still face.
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"Recruiters are being asked by some clients, particularly those with US head offices, to only supply contractors and candidates who can prove double vaccination. This, coupled with the lack of clarity from Government about mandatory vaccination in sectors such as healthcare, creates uncertainty and discrimination risks for recruiters.
"Although we appreciate the need to be flexible on policy the introduction of a Plan A and Plan B may hinder the progress that many firms have made as the economy recovers from the events of the last 18 months, as policies such as vaccine certificates could be introduced urgently."
“The preparations of a ‘Plan B’ which could see stricter restrictions imposed at short notice is understandable given the constantly shifting nature of the virus, however the high level of speculation creates uncertainty for businesses. There is also no clarity around the furlough scheme being reintroduced should emergency measures be put back into place.
“Government policy can have unintended effects on the economy - labour shortages arising from the 'pingdemic', for example - and we are seeing skills and labour shortages across all of our members’ sectors, something neither the Government, nor our industry would have expected this time last year. The Government must balance the implementation of the plans with the need to provide clear guidance to boost business confidence and to support workers filling job vacancies."
Matthew Fell, chief policy director at the CBI, said: “For the Winter Plan A to be a success, the government needs to learn the lessons of the summer to ensure people are confident in living with virus.
“Key to this will be boosting the confidence of workers to go to work; of customers to go to shops; and of businesses to stay open.
“Business is clear that the government must leave no stone unturned in its efforts to keep the economy open. The 海角视频’s world leading vaccine programme should underpin these efforts, but just as important will be maximising the role that monitoring, therapeutics and free, mass testing can play in driving confidence.
“The government can also support responsible businesses by utilising all the available Covid secure tools at our disposal, from good hygiene and ventilation processes to the use of face coverings.
“Finally, confidence requires certainty. Clear forward guidance for firms about what measures will be introduced under Plan B should infection rates rise will maximise their ability to plan with certainty. Transparency about how and when those decisions will be made is essential.”
At tonight's press conference, Boris Johnson said that “we’re going to keep going” with the coronavirus strategy despite the risks.
The Prime Minister said: “The result of this vaccination campaign is we have one of the most free societies and one of the most open economies in Europe.
“That’s why we’re now sticking with our strategy. In essence, we’re going to keep going.”
He stressed that he could not “rule out completely” the possibility of imposing mandatory vaccine passports.
The Prime Minister told the Downing Street press conference: “We do not see the need now to proceed, for instance, with mandatory certification.
“It’s just not sensible to rule out completely this kind of option now when we must face the fact that it might still make the difference between keeping business open at full capacity or not.”
But he refused to give specific details on how bad a future wave of Covid-19 would have to get for the Government to impose its “plan B” restrictions.
Mr Johnson said Plan B has “a number of different shots in the locker”.
“You wouldn’t necessarily play them all at once, far from it, you would want to do things in a graduated way,” he said.
“We’re now in a situation when because so many of the population have some degree of immunity, smaller changes in the way we’re asking people to behave can have a bigger impact.”