What does each tier mean to you?
The 3-tier system was introduced by the government in mid-October, with London moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2 shortly afterwards – on the 17th October to be precise. Although England went into another national lockdown on the 5th November, the plan is that the country will emerge back into the three-tier system, in a month’s time. What we want to do today is explain what the tiers really mean to businesses, particularly if they want to gather teams together for meetings or training once the lockdown ends.
What each Tier means
Tier 1
Officially described as “Medium”, the core messages are:
- The rule of six applies, both indoors and outside.
- Businesses can continue as normal, subject to social distancing rules. Hospitality has their own specific additional rules.
- Schools remain open.
For businesses, this means:
- Staff can go into the office, with social distancing measures expected to be followed.
- On public transport, people are required to wear masks and encouraged to travel outside of peak hours.
- Meetings and training events can take place, up to a maximum of 30 people.
Tier 2
This “High” alert level makes these changes:
- The rule of six remains, but only outdoors. People cannot socialise indoors with people outside of their immediate family or support bubble.
- People are actively encouraged to work from home if they can.
For businesses, there are no further restrictions.
Tier 3
The “Very High” alert level is currently the highest level in England.
- Pubs close, but restaurants stay open, with restrictions
- People can travel for work or education, but they should reduce the number of journeys they take on public transport, particularly during peak hours.
- People should try to avoid travelling into, or out of, areas with Very High alert levels.
So what can businesses do?
Succinctly put, you can still hold meetings up to 30 people, either in your office if there is a suitable space, or in a location such as Glaziers Hall. The Meeting Industry Association (MIA) has confirmed with the Department of Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) that “business meetings and events may take place for up to a total of 30 people, if social distancing can be maintained and the venue can demonstrate it has followed the guidance and is COVID-Secure.” “Event spaces can be used for reasons permitted by law, including for education and training purposes where ‘reasonably necessary’.
What Glaziers Hall can do for your meetings
Our team has worked extremely hard over the past few months to make our venue safe – and to get the accreditations to prove we are safe. As a Safer Events venue, we can:
- Run meetings for up to 30 people, including our staff. With three self contained floors, we can hold up to 90 people.
- Provide working lunches for everyone at these meetings. These must be individually served sandwich meals.
- No hot food
- No buffet elements
- Provide a socially distanced environment, seating people at least 1.5 metres apart.
- Provide a complete Track & Trace solution, including temperature checks for everyone who enters the building.
All of this meets the stringent criteria and guidelines issued by our industry bodies and the government. You can see more information about our Covid policies and practices here.
Our location means Glaziers Hall is very easy to get to, so if you do want to hold a team meeting or training event face to face once the English lockdown is lifted, get in touch or give us a call: 020 3403 3300. If you book one of our meeting rooms and the lockdown is maintained longer than currently expected, our commitment to you is that you are able to move your meeting to a future date without penalty. Dates are subject to availability.