A number of changes to the way we check in to venues and shops on the NHS Test and Trace app have been made ahead of the reopening of hospitality and retail from Monday.
The updates to the NHS Test and Trace app – which was first launched in May 2020 – have come into effect today to coincide with the availability of rapid lateral flow COVID-19 tests for everyone in England from Friday, and now state that everyone in a group must check in when they arrive at a venue, rather than just one member of a party as was previously required.
This individual check in should be done either by scanning an NHS QR code poster on the app, or by providing your contact details to the venue.
On top of the above changes, it’s also been confirmed that if an NHS Test and Trace app user has a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test result, they will be required to share their venue history privately on the app to ensure the venues are alerted faster.
This is to help ensure that local outbreaks are able to be contained more easily.
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If an NHS Test and Trace app user has been at a venue on the same day as someone else who has since tested positive, they may receive an alert telling them to book a PCR test, whether they are showing symptoms or not.
All venues in England will be given new QR posters to display, which the government says are clearer and easier to use.
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Business owners are legally required to display these posters.
Freepik | Wikimedia Commons
As aforementioned, the changes to the NHS Test and Trace app also arrive ahead of a campaign beginning in England tomorrow to encourage people to do twice-weekly rapid lateral flow COVID-19 tests, which had previously only offered to key workers and others seen as most at risk.
The tests can be ordered to your home, carried out through a workplace testing programme, or delivered through community testing.
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People aged 18 or over will also be able to collect a box of seven tests from participating local pharmacies, and if carrying out the tests at home, individuals will need to register their results online or by calling 119.
They should self-isolate if positive, and order a confirmatory PCR test.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Chester Zoo issues statement after people slam ‘totally ridiculous’ prices for safari-style lodges
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has defended the pricing for its new overnight safari-style lodges as people branded it as ‘totally ridiculous’.
Already being described as “the ultimate African safari experience right here in the UK”, some of the lodges will be located at the side of a lake, while others will offer views of a private savannah-style habitat that are home to Northern giraffes.
Bookings officially went live last Wednesday (29 January), and demand was “nothing short of phenomenal”, with the website crashing for a brief period and more than 550 bookings made so far.
But merely moments after this, people began hitting out at the prices for overnight stays.
Those working on the “very special” project say a stay at The Reserve will help to fund Chester Zoo’s global conservation projects.
Chester Zoo has issued a statement after people slammed the ‘totally ridiculous’ prices for safari-style lodges / Credit: Supplied
In the off-season, prices for the lodges start from £375, while one-night stays in summer start from £672.50, and then in peak season, for the more luxurious lodges, prices can go all the way up to £2,486, but it’s worth nothing that this does include guided safari tours and going behind-the-scenes with the giraffes.
“As an international wildlife charity we wholly rely on public funding to carry out our species-saving work,” a Chester Zoo spokesperson said in defence of the pricing.
“The Reserve is the latest way that people may wish to help to directly fund our global conservation projects and make a difference to the future of some amazing, but sadly endangered, species.
“A stay at The Reserve includes so much more than a room for the night.
“Packages include elements such as a range of exclusive behind-the-scenes and animal experiences, breakfast, dinner and out-of-hours access to the zoo, as well as two-day passes and the chance to view wildlife straight from your lodge balcony.”
Find out more and book your stay in the new lodges on the Chester Zoo website here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise in April
Emily Sergeant
More than three million workers across the UK are set to receive a ‘significant pay boost’ from April, the Government has announced.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to “put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year”, the Government has now laid legislation this week that confirms a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour from April onwards.
Ministers say the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which will be worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a “significant step” towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a “genuine” living wage.
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
This is the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
We are putting more money in your pocket.
From April, millions of working people will get a pay rise.
With the Government’s end goal being to create a single adult wage rate, this increase to both the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage will put an end to age-based wage discrimination, meaning employers can no longer be justified in paying younger workers less for doing the same job as their older colleagues.
The minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted this year, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of all of these changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise in April / Credit: Pexels
An impact assessment published earlier this week shows that these changes will put around £1.8 billion into the pockets of workers over the next six years, according to the Government.
“The increased income is set to boost financial stability for millions of families and improve spending power which will drive economic growth,” the Government claims.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves commented: “This Government promised a genuine living wage for working people that will support people with the cost of living, creating a workforce that is fit and ready to help us deliver number one mission to growth the economy.
The Manc -
8th April 2021 
