mteb/FeedbackQARetrieval huggingface dataset:
Guidance Closing certain businesses and venues in England
Takeaway food and food delivery facilities may remain open and operational
This means people can continue to enter premises to access takeaway services,
including delivery drivers.
Businesses are encouraged to take orders online or by telephone, and
businesses must not provide seating areas, indoors and outdoors, for customers
to consume food and drink on. Ordering in advance is strongly encouraged to
avoid waiting in, as per Public Health England guidelines.
Planning regulations have been changed to enable restaurants, cafés and pubs
which do not currently offer delivery and hot or cold food takeaway to do so.
The legislation can be accessed
online.
People must not consume food or drinks on site at restaurants, cafés or pubs
whilst waiting for takeaway food. Those venues offering takeaway or delivery
services must not include alcoholic beverages in this list if their licence
does not already permit.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19) essential international travel guidance
Get travel insurance
If your travel is essential, make sure you have appropriate insurance for
overseas travel, and purchase it as soon as you book your travel. You should
check the detail of your travel insurance to see what it covers, and contact
your insurance provider if you have any questions.
You may need to consider a specialist policy. It’s your responsibility to make
sure you’re covered. Read our guidance on purchasing
insurance.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has published information on the
travel insurance implications of
coronavirus.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19) essential international travel guidance
Entry restrictions
Many countries and territories have introduced screening measures (temperature
checks, health/travel questions, quarantine) and entry restrictions at border
crossings and transport hubs.
If you have recently been in a country affected by the virus you may need to
be quarantined, or you may not be allowed to enter or travel through a third
country. If you decide to travel, contact the local immigration authorities or
the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country you’re travelling
to.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19) essential international travel guidance
Checklist for before you travel

contact your airline, travel company, or other transport and accommodation providers to make sure you can still travel
read the details of your travel insurance carefully, and check that you are covered, and contact your insurer if you are uncertain. You may need to consider a specialist policy
make sure you can access money to cover emergencies and unexpected delays. Take more than one means of payment with you
be prepared to follow the advice of local authorities abroad. Be ready to comply with local isolation or quarantine requirements, and to rely on the local health system
make sure you have enough medication with you in case you are abroad longer than planned
be prepared for logistical and financial disruption to your travel
arrange extra support for family members, dependants or pets who may need care if you are abroad longer than planned
check travel advice for your destination regularly and sign-up to email alerts
see what you will need to do when you return to the UK until 7 June. The rules will change on 8 June: see what you will need to do to enter the UK from 8 June

If you are older, or if you have pre-existing medical conditions (such as
asthma, diabetes, heart disease), you are more likely to become severely ill
if you catch the virus. Check the NHS
guidance before you
travel.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): Accessing food and essential supplies
If you’re not clinically extremely vulnerable or self isolating
You can shop for food and other essentials in person unless you:

have been told to stay at home because you’re clinically extremely vulnerable (you’re shielding)
are self isolating because your or someone in your household has symptoms
you’re finding it difficult to leave your home for any other reason (for example, because of a disability)

Supermarkets are disinfecting trolleys and baskets to protect you.
Make sure you use the markings on the floor and advice in store to follow
social distancing rules.
You should shop in store if you can so that supermarket delivery slots are
available for those who need them most. Supermarkets are working with
government to prioritise access to online delivery slots for the vulnerable as
far as their capacity for deliveries allows.
Try to plan what your household and anyone you’re supporting needs for a
number of days ahead so that your trips to buy food and essentials are as
infrequent as possible.
Shopping for others
Consider offering to shop for people you know who are self-isolating and
unable to get to the shops.
If you’ve signed up for the NHS Volunteer Responders
programme, you can volunteer to support those in your
community other than family and friends.
If you’re shopping for someone else, most of the major supermarkets have ways
that you can pay on behalf of
others, such as
e-vouchers and gift cards. The person you’re shopping for can buy these online
and you can use them in store. Local convenience stores may also have options
available, so check what is on offer.
Read guidance on helping others safely.
Find out about the different ways to volunteer during the coronavirus
.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): Accessing food and essential supplies
If you cannot go out because you’re clinically extremely vulnerable, self isolating or for any other reason
If you can, ask friends, family or neighbours who are well to go out and get
food and other essentials for you. If you do not have others to help you,
there may be community groups who can help in your area or your local shops
may be able to provide orders for delivery (by phone or by email).
If someone is going to the shops for you, most of the major supermarkets have
ways you can pay for your shopping, such as e-vouchers or gift cards. You can
buy these online and the person shopping for you can use them in store. To
find out about payment options, visit:

your supermarket’s website
UK Finance (the collective voice for the banking and finance industry)

If you or a family member meet the criteria to get support from the NHS
Volunteer Responders
programme, you can call 0808 196 3646 and ask for help with
food, prescriptions and essential items.
If you need urgent help and have no other means of support, contact your
local authority to find out what
support services are available in your area.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): Accessing food and essential supplies
If you’re clinically extremely vulnerable
If you’re clinically extremely
vulnerable you
should have received a letter from the NHS asking you to self isolate.
The letter tells you how to register on a government website or an automated
helpline for support to get essential food supplies if friends or family
cannot help you.
If you’ve received this letter and have registered as having no means of
getting food:

you’ll be eligible for a government food parcel to be delivered to your home
Defra will pass your details to supermarkets

If you think you should have received a letter but have not had one, you
should contact your GP.
If you want to stop getting your government food parcel, you can:

tell your delivery driver you do not need it
re-register on GOV.UK and answer ‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you have a way of getting essential supplies delivered at the moment?’
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
If you’re sponsoring a student who is distance learning
You can continue to sponsor existing Tier 4 students who are continuing their
studies through distance learning, whether they are in the UK or another
country.
If a student has permanently withdrawn from their studies or deferred their
studies for reasons unrelated to coronavirus, you must report this as usual.
You do not need to withdraw sponsorship for new students who have been issued
a Tier 4 visa but are distance learning because they have been unable to
travel to the UK.
New international students who have not yet applied for a visa but want to
start a course by distance learning do not require sponsorship under Tier 4.
This is because they do not need to travel to the UK.
You do not need to tell the Home Office when students have moved to distance
learning.
These arrangements will apply until 31 May 2020, when they will be reviewed.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
If you have issued a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) and the sponsored employee or student has not yet applied for a visa
The employee or student will still be able to apply for a visa.
The start date for the course or employment stated on the CoS or CAS may have
changed. We will not automatically refuse such cases.
For example, we may accept a CoS or CAS if they have become invalid because
the employee or student was unable to travel as a result of coronavirus. We
will consider this on a case by case basis.
[CoS]: Certificate of Sponsorship
  [CAS]: confirmation of acceptance for studies
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
If your student or employee is absent
We will not take enforcement action against sponsors who continue to sponsor
students or employees despite absences due to coronavirus.
You do not need to report student or employee absences related to coronavirus.
This can include absences due to illness, their need to isolate or inability
to travel due to travel restrictions.
You do not need to withdraw sponsorship if because of coronavirus:

a student is unable to attend for more than 60 days
an employee is absent from work without pay for more than 4 weeks

We will keep this under review.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
If you cannot pay the salaries of sponsored employees because you’ve temporarily reduced or ceased trading
You can temporarily reduce the pay of your sponsored employees to 80% of their
salary or £2,500 per month, whichever is the lower.
Any reductions must be part of a company-wide policy to avoid redundancies and
in which all workers are treated the same.
These reductions must be temporary, and the employee’s pay must return to at
least previous levels once these arrangements have ended.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
If you’re sponsoring a student who’s waiting for their Tier 4 visa application to be decided
You may allow students to start their studies before their visa application
has been decided if:

you are a Tier 4 sponsor (other than Tier 4 Legacy Sponsors)
you have assigned the student a CAS
the student submitted their application before their current visa expired and has shown you evidence of this
the course they start is the same as the one listed on their CAS
the student has a valid Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if required

Your reporting responsibilities start from the date that you issue the CAS,
not from the date that their application is granted.
If the student’s application is eventually rejected as invalid or refused you
must terminate the student’s studies.
*[CAS]: confirmation of acceptance for studies
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
If you’re sponsoring an employee who’s waiting for their Tier 2 or 5 visa application to be decided
You may allow employees to start work before their visa application has been
decided if:

you have assigned them a CoS
the employee submitted their application before their current visa expired
the role they are employed in is the same as the one on their CoS

Your reporting responsibilities for an employee start from the date you have
assigned them a CoS, not from the date that their application is granted. You
will not be able to report information to us using the sponsor management
system. You must however ensure that you record and maintain all the relevant
information set out in the sponsor guidance on your own systems. Any changes
that will impact the eventual consideration of the migrant’s visa application
should be updated on the CoS, as normal.
If the employee’s application is eventually rejected as invalid or refused you
must terminate their employment.
*[CoS]: Certificate of Sponsorship
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents
If you’re outside the UK
There will be changes at the border because of coronavirus. Check what you
need to do before you travel.
Some UK Visa Application Centres (VACs) are resuming services, where local
restrictions allow. For updates to the status of VACs in your country,
contact:

TLS contact if you’re in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East
VFS global for all other countries

Ongoing global restrictions mean some UKVI services will remain closed.
Contact your local VAC to find out the latest status. Where services are
resuming, existing customers will be contacted.
Some English Testing Centres are also resuming services. Visit the
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)’s
website, the Pearson Test of English
website or the LanguageCert
website or contact your test
centre for more information on where we are reopening and how you can book
your Secure English Language Test.
Getting your documents
Due to worldwide border, travel and public health restrictions it may not be
possible to return your passport at this time. Contact the VAC where you
logged your application to see if courier return is available in your
location.
British nationals abroad who need to apply for a passport
If your country’s VAC is still closed, you won’t be able to apply for a
British passport. You can find your nearest visa application centre and check
if it’s open. We will
prioritise customers who have been waiting for a decision before accepting new
applications.
If you urgently need to travel to the UK, you can apply for an emergency
travel document.
If you are applying for a Global Talent, Start-up or Innovator visa
If your endorsement from an endorsing body has expired because you have not
been able to travel to the UK you may still be eligible for a visa. You should
make your application as planned and we will consider all applications on a
case by case basis.
If your 30 day visa to work, study or join family has expired
If your 30 day visa to travel to the UK for work, study or to join family has
expired, or is about to expire, you can request a replacement visa with
revised validity dates free of charge until the end of this year.
To make a request, contact the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre. You’ll
need to include your name, nationality, date of birth and your GWF reference
number with ‘REPLACEMENT 30 DAY VISA’ in the subject line. If you’ve already
contacted us about this, please let us know in your email.
You’ll be contacted when our VACs reopen to arrange for a replacement visa to
be endorsed in your passport.
You will not be penalised for being unable collect your BRP while coronavirus
measures are in place.
This process will be in place until the end of 2020.
[VACs]: UK Visa Application Centres
  [VAC]: UK Visa Application Centre
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents
If you’re working for the NHS
Some frontline health workers and their families will get their visas
automatically extended because of coronavirus.
There are also changes to the conditions of visas for some frontline health
workers. These changes will apply to you if you work for the NHS or
independent health and care providers as a:

biochemist
biological scientist
dental practitioner
health professional
medical practitioner
medical radiographer
midwife
nurse
occupational therapist
ophthalmologist
paramedic
pharmacist
physiotherapist
podiatrist
psychologist
social worker
speech and language therapist
therapy professional

Check with your employer if you’re not sure whether you work in an eligible
profession.
If you will be working at a different NHS site than your usual place of
work because of coronavirus
You can work at any NHS hospital during the coronavirus outbreak if your
sponsor can maintain their sponsorship duties.
Sponsors will not need to notify UKVI of the change in your place of work.
If you do any different or extra frontline work due to coronavirus
You can carry out supplementary work in any role at any skill level during the
coronavirus outbreak. There is no restriction on the number of hours you can
work.
Changes to the current restrictions on the number of hours you can work or
volunteer
There is no longer a limit on the number of hours you can work or volunteer
each week if you are a:

tier 4 student
tier 2 worker and your NHS job is a second job
visiting academic researcher
holder of a short-term visa and are permitted to volunteer

If you’re a pre-registration nurse in the UK, the deadline for you to sit the
Occupational Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been extended to 31
December 2020.
If you do not pass on the first attempt, you will have until 31 May 2021 to
pass the exam.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents
Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre
If you have immigration queries related to coronavirus, please email the
Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre.
Email: CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk. Your email must
be in English.
You will usually get a reply within 5 working days. Do not send follow up
emails - they may delay you getting a reply.
You can also call the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre. If you’ve emailed
the help centre already, please do not contact them by phone.
Telephone: 0800 678 1767 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Calls to this number are free of charge within the UK.
Check call charges with your phone provider if you’re calling from abroad.
If your query doesn’t relate to immigration provisions associated with
coronavirus, please contact the general immigration
helpline.
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care
Funding and financial support for businesses
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme

the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) is a government-backed loan scheme administered by commercial lenders
viable UK-based businesses, with a turnover of more than £45 million per year, will be able to apply for up £25 million of finance. Firms with a turnover of more than £250 million will be able to apply for up to £50 million of finance
loans backed by a guarantee under CLBILS will be offered at commercial rates of interest
read more about the scheme and how to apply

*[CLBILS]: Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care
Funding and financial support for businesses
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) relief for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

the government has introduced a rebate scheme to allow small and medium-sized businesses to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for staff sickness absence due to coronavirus (COVID-19). This refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because they have been ill with the virus or have had to self-isolate because of it
employers must maintain records of staff absences
read more about the scheme

*[SSP]: statutory sick pay
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care
Independent schools
Independent special schools
The majority of pupils in independent special schools have been placed there
by local authorities under an EHC plan, funded from the high needs block of
the DSG.
As noted above, local authorities will continue to receive their high needs
budgets and should continue to pay top-up and other high needs funding to
independent special schools, so that the employment and payment of staff
supporting children and young people with SEND can continue. Some independent
special schools also have pupils who are funded privately instead of under an
EHC plan. These institutions should only access the support schemes identified
above in relation to the proportion of staff that is not supported through
public funding, and only to the extent that the school is facing a loss of
income because the children have been withdrawn by their parents leading to a
loss of fee income.
[EHC]: education, health and care
  [DSG]: dedicated schools grant
  *[SEND]: special educational needs and disability
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care
Sector-specific guidance
Children’s social care providers
Ensuring that vulnerable children remain protected is a top priority for
government. Our aim is to ensure that children’s social care providers are
able to continue to provide care to vulnerable children and to operate
effectively during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
We are asking providers to remain open and to continue to deliver care and
support to their vulnerable children and young people. We would anticipate
local authorities continuing to fund any contracted or commissioned providers,
but where appropriate, providers may wish to consider accessing support
measures for which they may be eligible to help them remain operational during
this period, such as the business interruption loan schemes. Please refer to
the respective guidance page as linked above for more information.
As placements will continue to be needed, local authorities will continue to
pay fees to children’s social care providers. As these payments for essential
services will continue, we would expect providers not to furlough staff, and
for provision to remain available to support vulnerable children. The
government has also announced £1.6 billion of extra funding for local
authorities to help address pressures arising from coronavirus (COVID-19),
including in children’s social care.
In the rare circumstances that providers feel they have no choice but to
furlough staff, they should only seek support through the Coronavirus Job
Retention Scheme if they meet the following conditions:

the employee works in an area of business where services are temporarily not required and whose salary is not covered by public funding
the employee would otherwise be made redundant or laid off
the employee is not involved in delivering provision that has already been funded
the employee is not required to deliver provision for a vulnerable child
the grant from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme would not duplicate other public grants received and would not lead to financial reserves being created.

Residential provision
State-funded residential children’s social care provision is offered in state-
maintained schools, non-maintained special schools and independent schools.
While the educational costs are funded from the DSG, the residential costs are
met from social care budgets. Local authorities will continue to receive
funding for social care provision and should continue to pay residential costs
so that the employment and payment of staff supporting children and young
people who require residential provision can continue.
Some independent schools have joint registration as a children’s home, and are
effectively funded by local authorities that place the children in those
settings. This funding should continue.
*[DSG]: dedicated schools grant
Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care
Funding and financial support for businesses
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Interruption Loan Scheme

the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will help to support long-term viable businesses which may need to respond to cash-flow pressures as a result of the virus by seeking additional finance
the scheme supports SMEs with access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million and for up to 6 years
the scheme is administered by commercial lenders, designed for UK-based organisations not classified as public sector
read more about the scheme and how to apply