daily update from John Bridge OBE DL, Chief Executive

COVID-19: Easing of lockdown restrictions

Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Tuesday 23 June) set out further changes to lockdown measures in England to enable people to see more of their friends and family, help businesses get back on their feet and get people back in their jobs.

From Saturday 4 July, the Prime Minister has announced that:

1) Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will be able to reopen, providing they adhere to COVID Secure guidelines - updated guidance for all workplace settings can be found here . 

2) Two households will be able to meet up in any setting with social distancing measures - updated guidance on social distancing can be found here . 

3) People can now enjoy staycations in England with the reopening of accommodation sites - guidance on opening up the visitor economy can also be found here . 

4) In order to begin restoring the arts and cultural sector, some leisure facilities and tourist attractions may also reopen, if they can do so safely – this includes outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades, as well as libraries, social clubs, places of worship and community centres - guidance on opening up the visitor economy can also be found here . 

Following a review, the Prime Minister has also set out that where it is not possible to stay two metres apart, guidance will allow people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’. This means staying one metre apart, plus mitigations which reduce the risk of transmission.

You can find the full press release here . 

The Prime Minister has also shared the following outline of which businesses can reopen from 4 July if they are Covid-19 secure:

- Hotels, B&Bs, holiday homes and campsites
- Restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars
- Cinemas, museums and galleries
- Hair salons and barbers
- Libraries and community centres
- Places of worship
- Outdoor playgrounds and gyms
- Funfairs, theme parks and amusement arcades.


Supplementary consultation for the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme

As previously announced, Highways England are proposing to upgrade the route between the Black Cat roundabout and Caxton Gibbet roundabout with a new 10-mile dual carriageway and a number of junction improvements. The scheme will improve journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge, bringing communities together and supporting long term growth in the region.

As planned the supplementary consultation for the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements scheme is launching today, 24 June.

Full details regarding the scheme can be found here . 

You can find the links to the virtual supplementary consultation room as well as the supporting consultation materials at http://a428.consultation.ai/ .

The consultation will run until Tuesday 28 July 2020.

Please do take the time to respond to the consultation as it is most important to ensure we communicate the views of business.


Have you registered for tomorrow’s Coffee Break?

Despite the current challenges we still need to recognise and celebrate the success that has been achieved over the last 12 months. This week at Coffee Break we welcome Joe Quinn, Events Manager for Archant, who will talk about the Business Awards in Ely, Fenland and Huntingdon that are supported by the Chamber, and we'll hear from previous award winners about their success stories.

Register here .