NEWS SPECIAL
COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/
SCOTLAND DEMANDS CASH Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has urged the UK Government to release £21.3bn of reserves to
WALES ACTS ON CALLS FOR IMPROVED IN-STORE SAFETY
help tackle the impact of
THE WELSH GOVERNMENT HAS ACTED ON CALL FROM TRADE
coronavirus.
UNION USDAW FOR IMPROVED SAFETY MEASURES IN-STORE.
VAPING REPRIEVE Vaping industry body UKVIA has called for a reprieve on click and collect sales as “smoke-free targets hang in the balance.” Vaping stores continue to be classed as ‘nonessential’, meaning click-andcollect has been suspended for them.
GET A GRIP Hand-protection manufacturer GripHero is to offer its
Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced that retail businesses in Wales will have to carry out a specific coronavirus risk assessment under new Welsh Government legislation. Trade union Usdaw has welcomed the move after being “inundated” with complaints from members “deeply concerned about their safety, as customers blatantly flout the rules”. Nick Ireland, Usdaw Divisional Officer, said: “We welcome that the Welsh Government is legislating for risk assessments to be reviewed and updated regularly. We also welcome the particular focus on retail and the
strengthening of regulations to make stores as safe as possible. Retail staff are working with the public every day and not only suffer increased abuse, but are deeply worried about catching Covid-19. “We are very concerned by reports from our members that too many customers are abusing shopworkers and not following necessary safety measures, like social distancing, wearing a face covering and shopping alone where possible for essential items only. Usdaw is urging the shopping public to strictly follow the rules and respect shopworkers.”
dispensers free to forecourts in an attempt to tackle the spread of coronavirus. The company hopes to help forecourt retailers reduce the potential for potential transmission of the virus as well as protecting customers from fuel contamination.
CARRIER BAG CHARGE TO RISE IN SCOTLAND The minimum price of a single use carrier bag is set to increase from 5p to 10p from 1 April 2021 – although the Scottish Government is planning to bring forward a Covid-19 exemption for retailers from charging for single use carrier bags for certain deliveries and collections, as was done in spring 2020. The carrier bag charge was first introduced in Scotland in October 2014. Prior to the charge, 800 million single use carrier bags were issued annually in Scotland. By 2015 this fell by 80%. Additional measures to reduce single use plastic consumption include the banning of the sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds, with further steps to ban a number of single use items recently being consulted on.
8 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 39 / WEDNESDAY 20TH JANUARY 2021
