Safe Trading Guidance
Helping you trade safely under Covid restrictions.
On Monday 9 August 2021, Dumfries & Galloway, along with the rest of Scotland, moved beyond Level 0.
Permitted to be open
All premises are permitted to be open.
Businesses will be expected to follow all other legal requirements, rules and guidance.
The Scottish Government have published guidance for specific business sectors which is updated regularly.
Advice and enforcement of the COVID-19 legislative powers is shared between the Council, Police Scotland and the Health & Safety Executive.
Physical Distancing
There is no longer a legal requirement for physical distancing.
Face Coverings
It is now mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport, including public transport premises, such as airports, train and bus stations, and in retail premises.
It is also mandatory to wear a face covering in:
- amusement arcades, snooker or pool halls and other indoor leisure facilities
- banks, building societies and credit unions
- bingo halls
- bowling alleys
- casinos
- cinemas
- community centres
- crematoriums and funeral directors premises
- dance halls
- discotheques
- enclosed motor vehicles while in use for a driving lesson or driving test, unless all occupants are members of the same household
- indoor fitness studios, gyms, swimming pools or other indoor leisure centres
- indoor funfairs
- indoor skating rinks
- libraries and public reading rooms
- museums and galleries
- places of worship
- post offices
- premises at which members' clubs or societies meet
- registration offices
- storage and distribution facilities, including collection and drop off points
- indoor theatres
- comedy clubs
- concert halls
- soft play centres
- sports stadiums
- conference or exhibition centres and any other place at which an exhibition takes place
- any indoor public place, or part of an indoor public place, being used as a polling station
- for the opening of postal votes, or the counting of votes cast, in an election
- nightclubs
- sexual entertainment venues
A face covering can be a covering of any type, except a face shield, that covers the mouth and nose.
The Scottish Government Guidance on wearing face coverings can be found at:
Face covering exemptions
Some people are not required to wear a face covering.
These include:
- children under 5 years of age
- children on a school transport service
- police constables or emergency responders acting in the course of their duty
- staff such as drivers or checkout assistants who are physically separated, by means of, for example, screens, from passengers or customers
- shop workers if they maintain a 2 metre distance from customers or members of the public
- persons on a ferry where that part of the ferry which is open to the public is entirely outdoors, or a distance of 2 metres can be maintained
You may also have a reasonable excuse not to wear a face covering if, for example:
- you have a health condition or you are disabled and a face covering would be inappropriate because it would cause difficulty, pain or severe distress or anxiety or because you cannot apply a covering and wear it in the proper manner safely and consistently. Individual discretion should be applied in considering the use of face coverings for other children including, for example, children with breathing difficulties and disabled children who would struggle to wear a face covering
- you are seeking medical assistance
- you need to avoid injury, illness or to escape a risk of harm
- you are providing care or assistance to a vulnerable person
- you need to eat or drink
- you are taking medication
- you are communicating with someone else who relies on lip reading
- a relevant person, such as a police officer, asks you to remove your face covering
- you are undertaking food handling tasks, to avoid risk to the hygiene or safety of food
Below is a printout that you can download , and wear as a badge or carry with you if you are exempt:
Those exempt under the guidance and regulations do not have to prove their exemption. We ask for people to be aware of the exemptions and to treat each other with kindness.
Further advice
The Council is responsible for retail, wholesale distribution and warehousing, hotel and catering premises, offices, and the consumer/leisure industries. Police Scotland will refer all complaints and enquiries of this nature to the council unless an urgent response is required outside normal working hours. If you need advice on the steps you need to take to ensure you are safe to open the please contact tradingstandards@dumgal.gov.uk or call 01387 245918.
HSE is the regulator for other premises including manufacturing, construction, waste and sites subject to major hazards legislation.
Healthy Working Lives
Healthy Working Lives is a free service run by Public Health Scotland for any businesses or organisation in Scotland to provide free support on a range of health topics. This support is provided via a website, telephone adviceline and local advisers. Healthy Working Lives offer a range of free business tools, resources and training to help improve staff health and wellbeing these include:
- Policy Templates
- Risk Assessments
- Covid 19 - business support
- Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Health Risks
- Health Improvement
For more information please contact the Dumfries & Galloway local Adviser Richard Smith richard.smith5@nhs.scot, call 07941 554291 or visit www.healthyworkinglives.scot