welcome back update

Good morning and a very ‘Happy New Year’ to you all.

As we welcome in 2021 I sincerely hope you do so fuelled with the same levels of resilience, energy and enthusiasm as displayed by you all last year, even, or perhaps more so in light of yesterday’s rather predictable announcement of a third national lockdown, and which I will address later in this communication. I delayed writing to you yesterday in order to ensure the advice outlined below was relevant and in line with latest government guidance after yesterday evenings announcement.

Firstly, I do hope the extended Christmas break presented you with the opportunity to properly relax, unwind and recharge and that you were able to enjoy as many of the usual festivities that you are accustomed to. I appreciate it has not been Christmas as we know it or what we were previously promised, but nonetheless I do hope you could enjoy the time and I am sure you will agree the restrictions we have faced are small penance in the grand scale of the ongoing epidemic. I am delighted to welcome you all back this week and feel confident and ready to face the challenges that (once again) lie ahead of us.

Following last night’s ministerial announcement that the Country will be plunged back into lockdown for the third time and with almost immediate effect, it is imperative that we now redouble our efforts, continue to act responsibly and follow the rules with full appreciation of the necessity for such restrictive measures given the severity of the situation that continues to unfold and escalate around us. The next few weeks and months ahead will continue to be very difficult as we endeavour to combat the new strain of the virus, which will undoubtedly pressurise NHS resources and continue to unsettle life for us all, but we must be patient, trust in the expert advice we are given, and take confidence and renewed optimism that the recent and significant advances in the discovery and manufacture of a vaccination which will keep us moving on the road to recovery and with real hope for some form of normality later this year.

As we return to our daily duties in our role as keyworkers which allows us to remain operational at this time, I would strongly urge you to proceed with the upmost caution and with your safety and that of your colleagues at the forefront of your thinking and actions. We must actively apply the lessons we learnt last year and the new ways of working that we have adopted which will allow us to safely continue construction activity and remain ‘business as usual’ as much as we can. The restrictions imposed at the end of the year for all sites and the main office, remain in place to minimise risk. With the new strain spreading at an unprecedented and alarming rate it is inevitable that we will unfortunately experience more confirmed cases and as such I would ask all Line Managers to refresh their knowledge of our confirmed cases protocol (which can be found within the COVID-19 section of our website) and take immediate action wherever necessary to protect yourselves and your teams.

In accordance with clear government directive, anyone who can undertake their role remotely must now work from home wherever possible and reduce any unnecessary travel. The office and all sites will continue to operate all the while we feel we can safely do so and with adequate availability of material supplies and sub-contractors. We will be formally writing to all clients, consultant teams and wider supply chain today to notify them of our intention to keep all our sites open and that we do so with safety as our upmost priority.

For those present on site and in the office, a reminder of the main points and latest ruling that we must adhere to, is outlined below:

• Hands: Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly throughout the day and make use of additional hand sanitizers.

• Face: It is strongly advised that face coverings should now be worn when moving away from your desk area and into communal spaces. Two new cotton face masks are being issued to you this week to replenish your supplies.

• Space: Remember that social distancing is paramount. Give space to your colleagues and limit time and numbers in communal areas at all times.

• Temperature Monitoring: Record you temperature on access to either site or the main office without fail. If higher than 37.7 degrees please vacate the premises and report to your Line Manager immediately.

• Limit unnecessary contact externally: All external meetings within the main office are forbidden unless considered business critical. As an alternative please continue to use online methods of communication wherever possible and reduce unnecessary visitors to site. Visitors who must access site should remain outside wherever possible and if a meeting is required the room must be kept well ventilated with reduced numbers (max. 6 people) and at a safe distance, and if this is not possible face coverings must be worn.

• Remain highly vigilant of the symptoms: These include a new and continuous cough, a loss of either taste and/or smell or a raised temperature above 37.7 degrees. You may not have all three symptoms and many present as asymptomatic, which makes adherence to the above guidance even more important.

The above measures will continue to be implemented for the foreseeable future whilst we are in lockdown and most certainly beyond this, alongside heightened cleaning measures which will remain in place alongside preventative fogging to sterilise the main office intermittently and following any confirmed cases in the office or on site. Whilst the above is fairly self-explanatory I appreciate it remains an anxious and unsettling time, so if you do have any ongoing concerns or questions then please do speak with me directly or one of the COVID-19 Taskforce, who continue to remain on hand to support you, and are closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis to ensure we continue to act responsibly and always with your safety and wellbeing at the forefront of our actions.

Lastly, I would ask you all to please take a moment to remove the Christmas footer from your emails and return to using the COVID-19 footer, which seems most relevant to remain in place whilst the virus is still so prevalent. Simply click on ‘Signatures’ within a new email and switch back to COVID-19 as the default footer for new messages and replies, on the right hand side. If you have any difficulties doing so please speak with Steve Cooper who can assist you.

On behalf of my Co-Directors I once again sincerely thank you all for your ongoing patience and unrelenting efforts amidst very difficult circumstances and sincerely hope for better times ahead for us all.

Please do continue to stay safe and well.