IMPORTANT - RISK MANAGEMENT for meeting attendees
In line with current Government Guidance, employers Duty of Care/Health and Safety requirements and Risk Management requirements to minimise the potential risks to attendees involved and to ensure that meetings ‘in person’ can continue to be held as safely as possible, social distancing will still be applied to council meeting arrangements and masks should be worn if mandated to do so as well as social distancing followed such that people are sat sufficiently apart and not in close proximity to each other.
To minimise the risk of spread of infection, can we also ask people to please observe the following:
1. Lateral Flow tests – these are freely available from www.gov.uk/find-covid-19-lateral-flow-test-site and it is strongly suggested that all meeting participants and attendees should have a test within 48 hours of the meeting.
2. Entrance/Exit – Please wear a mask when entering/leaving the meeting room via the front door – unless you can leave in single file through a different exit door.
3. Refreshments – there will be no provision of refreshments at the meeting – please bring your own if required - and also take away any bottles, flasks or other receptacles that you bring with you.
NB Please also take away any papers that you bring to the meeting.
4. Hand Washing – please ensure that you have washed your hands thoroughly before attending the meeting. There will be hand sanitiser available at the entrance to the meeting.
5. Wearing of Masks – these help reduce the risk of infection, so please wear one when you enter the venue, unless you cannot do so for health reasons - though this could be removed if government rules permit and you are sitting far enough apart when the meeting commences, or when you wish to talk during the meeting.
6. Social Distancing – meeting attendees are reminded of the importance of social distancing both inside the meeting and outside of it. If you do not intend to attend the meeting but would like your comments to be taken into account on any item on the agenda, please ensure that the Chairman or the Clerk are made aware of your views prior to the meeting. This can then be taken into account, though the rules are still that any Resolutions can only be made by those present and voting at the meeting.
7. Attendance and Duration – meetings should only be attended by those who need to attend and the length of the meeting should be restricted to ensure that the meeting is kept to a minimum time. If you do not feel able to attend for health reasons, please ensure that you let the Clerk know in time so that we can ensure the meeting will be quorate.
8. Symptoms – to state the obvious, if anyone has COVID symptoms with a new continuous cough or a high temperature, then they should not to attend any meetings until after a safe quarantine period has elapsed.
9. Developing COVID-19 – if any attendee of a meeting later develops COVID-19 then they should notify the Clerk immediately so that all other attendees can be informed of the situation and advised to self-isolate in accordance with the rules in force at the time
10. Exit – as noted above, please exit the meeting room via another door if available.
11. Papers – Please note that no additional papers are printed so if you require hard copies of any meeting paper please contact the Clerk in advance of the meeting.
