Prepared for a Second Wave
Posted in: Tip's and Tricks 13th August 2020
Since the UK started to ease lockdown restrictions, starting with pubs, restaurants and cafes opening their doors to the public on 4th July, there has been a warning of a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
The restrictions began to be relaxed due to infections in the UK declining notably since April, when they peaked at over 8000 cases a day, but there are hints that things could be changing. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the declining incidence rates in England seen until early June have now levelled off.
England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jenny Harries, has said that a new spike in cases in the UK was a possibility: “A second peak, as in an epidemic peak, another one, is also not ruled out.”
Year to date government figures show that there has been more than 300,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far in the UK and more than 46,000 people have died. However, these numbers only include people tested, and the actual death toll is higher.
Clusters of new cases have already been reported in the north of England, and millions of people in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire have been banned from meeting separate households in private homes or gardens. Pools, indoor gyms and other leisure facilities remain closed in Leicester, which went back into lockdown at the end of July.
Since the beginning of lockdown Valley Northern took all the necessary steps to ensure we could meet production requirements whilst keeping all of our employees safe so they could do what they do best; providing our customers with a hassle-free, outstanding level of service.
It has always been our intention to operate on as much of a “business as usual” approach throughout the Coronavirus pandemic as has been practically possible. With that in mind, we have taken steps to ensure that we remain able to meet the needs of our customers no matter what.
Whilst we hope that a second wave of Coronavirus infections does not arise, we have prepared for such an eventuality as follows:
- As demonstrated throughout this year, we have modified our processes to maximise our ability to meet the needs of our customers. This has included transferring any printer-reliant processes to email wherever possible, so that work can continue remotely as seamlessly as if it were being conducted in the office.
- To enable our non-remote team to work in-house whilst maintaining appropriate social distancing and good hygiene practises, we have installed extra hand sanitisation stations and have employed an effective one-way system around the premises.
- We have sanctioned team members to continue to work remotely, if they are happy to do so or feel it is necessary.
- The Customer Services and Warehouse teams have been expanded to mitigate the risks posed by staff sick leave.
- We have been spending a lot of time on our supply chain to do all we can to ensure a more robust supply chain going forward.
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic we have been proud to be able to continue taking stock of quality, high demand products; including vital PPE to keep our health workers safe and helping to reduce the strain on the NHS. As a result of our flexibility and forward planning, circumstances which may have resulted in amended levels of service (e.g. delivery within 2-3 working days vs. next-day delivery) have also largely been avoided.
Back to business…
We are offering a range of COVID-19 relevant products, from PPE and hand sanitiser to dispensers and workplace signage; applicable to any and all businesses. We also stock helpful PPE Kits, containing everything your business needs to keep your employees protected from Coronavirus.
You can browse our range here, but if you are unsure what relevant equipment is best suited to your working environment, our friendly Customer Services team can advise you. Please call 01785 250123 for more information, or email sales@valleynorthern.com.
We appreciate your ongoing business and the team at Valley Northern are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Take care and keep safe.
