APHC CEO John Thompson has participated in a conference call with the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and business secretary Alok Sharma about getting people back working and protecting the economy.
The organisation has been actively liaising with government since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.
John said: “It was apparent from this conference call with the Prime Minister and the secretary of state for business that the government wants to get those businesses who have not been forced to close back working, especially those in construction and manufacturing.
“The message from the Prime Minister was clear, unless we get the economy started the country won’t be able to continue to sustain the current level of funding for our welfare schemes, NHS and the many short-term emergency measures introduced to help businesses through the COVID-19 restrictions.
“The Prime Minister’s television address yesterday also confirmed that from Wednesday, people in England who can’t work from home will be actively encouraged to go to work especially those in construction and manufacturing.
“To help businesses to get back working in a safe manner, we have been consulting with the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) over guidance documents relating to how trades people can work safely in people’s homes including how employers can create COVID-secure workplaces. These guides are due to be published this week in-line with the government’s easing of the current restrictions on travel. And to help our members implement this guidance and have the confidence to know they are working safely, we will be issuing a range of support tools to assist them with applying these guidelines.”