COVID-19: guidance for employees, employers and businesses (update)

This guidance will assist employers and businesses in providing advice to their staff on:

• coronavirus COVID-19
• how to help prevent spread of COVID-19
• what to do if someone with symptoms of COVID-19 has been in business settings
• eligibility for sick pay

This guidance also provides details of support available to businesses including:

• a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
• deferring VAT and Self-Assessment payments
• Self-employment Income Support Scheme
• statutory sick pay relief package for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in England
• small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
• grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to support long-term viable businesses who may need to respond to cash-flow pressures by seeking additional finance
• a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans
• the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme to help with tax

Please note

This guidance is of a general nature and should be treated as a guide, and in the event of any conflict between any applicable legislation (including the health and safety legislation) and this guidance, the applicable legislation shall prevail.