While the UK public is adjusting to the new ‘rule of six’
law around social gatherings and a change in the government’s travel corridors
policy to include regionalised restrictions for islands, the nation’s business
travel and events industries are still waiting on more detailed guidelines on
what last week’s announcements mean for them.
Testing flip-flop
The news that the government would start imposing or lifting quarantine
requirements in a more regionalised manner where natural borders such as
islands are involved was cautiously welcomed despite the change coming into
effect after the peak summer holiday season had already finished. However, the travel
industry had obviously been hoping for more progress on the government’s
consideration of testing schemes for incoming travellers to shorten or replace
the self-isolation period.
What they got was nearly the opposite.
On Monday, transport secretary Grant Shapps promised to
report back to the House of Commons “in the coming weeks” on the work being
done with health experts around testing at airports, but warned that the option
of testing passengers once on arrival “would not work”. He said Public Health
England research shows that method of testing might only accurately catch 7 per
cent of active coronavirus infections – particularly in those not showing
symptoms – due to the long incubation period of the virus. This is part of the
reason NHS testing centres will currently only offer tests to symptomatic
people. With that in mind, Shapps indicated that the more attractive option is
combining a two-test system with a shortened quarantine period whereby
passengers are tested once on arrival and again several days later – if both
are negative, the person in question can stop self-isolating.
Answering questions from MPs following his speech, Shapps
pointed out that the government’s research centre Porton Down had not yet
approved any of the commercial testing kits being proposed by airports such as
Heathrow and said he did not believe “holidaymakers” should be given priority
for public testing in the current system – which is already struggling to keep
up with demand from the general population.
A few days prior to Shapps’ statement in the Commons, prime
minister Boris Johnson told the media he believed airport testing would give
people a “false sense of security”, adding that the UK’s quarantine policy “has
got to be an important part of our repertoire, of our toolbox, in fighting
Covid”.
And yet, not two days after Shapps’ statement, Johnson
addressed the nation with the new ‘rule of six’ guidelines. At the same time,
he outlined his ambitions to roll out mass testing beyond the current goal of
increasing capacity to 500,000 tests a day by the end of October. More
specifically, he brought up ‘hopes’ for a new kind of test that can give
results “in 90 or even 20 minutes” and potentially open up capacity for
“literally millions of tests processed every single day”. A pilot on the new type of tests will begin in Salford next month.
Crucially, he said such rapid tests could be used at
theatres and sports venues, as well as to release people who have recently
travelled abroad from quarantine.
Within a matter of just five days, Johnson’s tune on testing
for travellers had changed from a ‘no-go’ to a possibility.
However, health experts were quick to point out that the
technology for these kinds of tests does not exist and is unlikely to be
developed in the timescale Johnson is proposing. Not only that, but Dr Chaand
Nagpaul, council chairman of the British Medical Association, told the BBC mass
testing opens up the possibility of a high rate of “false negatives”, causing
the exact problem Johnson claims he’s trying to avoid by not approving airport
testing.
We’re now six months into this crisis and there has still
been no tangible movement on testing despite airports taking matters into their
own hands and paying out of their own already emptying pockets to set up
facilities ready for the green light. Meanwhile, aviation bosses are being
supported by MPs from across the political spectrum on their calls for an
answer – including from former prime minister Theresa May, who told the
government to “get planes flying” in order to truly restart the economy.
And all the while, job losses in aviation and industries
dependent on aircraft movements are mounting and look set to get worse as the
end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme looms on 31 October.
Delayed clarity cancels business events
Last week’s ‘rule of six’ announcement – which prohibits social gatherings of
more than six people both indoors and outdoors with hefty fines for
rule-breakers – also heralded a hammer blow for the UK’s meetings and events
industry. While Johnson stressed that the rules applied to “social gatherings”,
the only exemptions immediately listed by the government were where gatherings
are “for work”, wedding ceremonies and receptions, funerals, religious
ceremonies and “elite sporting competition and training” – no mention of
business events and conferences, other than to say the government will be
“reviewing” plans to return audiences to stadiums and conference centres from 1
October.
While culture secretary Oliver Dowden confirmed that planned
pilots of live spectators at sporting events will be reduced to 1,000 people,
the meetings and events industry waited four days for specific guidance on
whether meetings of up to 30 people could still go ahead under the new rules.
In the meantime, venues across the UK had already reported
cancellations from clients who were confused about what the new rules meant for
them and would rather not run the risk of being slapped with a fine.
Jane Longhurst, CEO of the Meetings Industry Association
(MIA), which sought clarification from the Department for Digital, Culture,
Media & sport, said: “Throughout the course of the pandemic we have lobbied
rigorously to demonstrate the harrowing impact Covid-19 has had on the
industry, so we are delighted to have received confirmation today that business
meetings and events holding up to 30 people can continue.
“While this is welcomed news, the lack of clarity provided
to venues and event organisers respectively over the course of the last week
does, however, hold significant implications, which the government must
recognise. In the four days that… passed since the prime minister’s
announcement, 76.5 per cent of venues recently surveyed confirmed that this has
led to direct event cancellations, with some cancelled events equating to
values upwards of £50,000. This business reflects not just much-needed revenue,
but a lifeline for many venues.”
And like the travel industry, the meetings and events sector
has suffered huge job losses in recent months despite the prospect of larger
conferences being able to take place this side of 2021. If the 1 October date
is pushed back again, the sector is likely to face another cliff edge of
redundancies as the Job Retention Scheme comes to a close.
Longhurst said: “Through our UK venue survey last month, we
already know that venues have averaged a £2,398,600 loss of business to date,
which coupled with the restrictions on operations and the generation of revenue
has led to some 126,000 job losses since the pandemic began. For a sector left
at a standstill for so long, cancelled business can no longer be borne, with
the impending end to the government furlough scheme forecasting a further
140,000 job losses.
“If venues cannot open for business at larger capacities
soon, then they simply must be funded before this £70 billion economic driver
is simply no more.”
Lex Butler, chair of the HBAA, commented: “HBAA is obviously
tremendously disappointed by the latest government announcements switching the
green light for large events from 1 October to amber and therefore on hold.
Hopefully the measures being put in place for reducing the size of social
gatherings will bring down the rate of infection, allowing the restart of
business events and meetings to go ahead.
“We must also seek significant economic support for every
organisation and freelancer in the business events, accommodation and meetings
sector, as our path to recovery is yet again challenged and we are already
faced with massive uncertainty, huge impacts and risk to businesses and our
people.”
Venuedirectory.com has proposed a ‘Meet Out to Help Out’
scheme similar to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent attempt to get people back in
restaurants by funding a 50 per cent discount on meals on certain days of the
week throughout August. The company is suggesting that in exchange for
corporates committing to booking a meeting or event and putting down a deposit,
50 per cent of the venue’s commission would go to the booking agent.
Michael Begley, managing director of Venuedirectory.com,
said: “This will not only generate momentum to keep the sector moving in what
is an incredibly tough trading period, it will also boost the cash flow of agencies,
many of which are vulnerable at this time. To further boost confidence and
minimise risk, the corporates should be able to receive a refund up to 14 days
prior to arrival if they choose not to hold their event.”
The proposal was acknowledged by Nigel Huddleston MP,
parliamentary under secretary of state for sport, tourism and heritage, at the
recent UKickstart Event 2020, a multi-hub live and virtual event held last
week.
Despite receiving more attention from MPs in the House of
Commons, the UK meetings and events industry is suffering from a lack of
clarity and support from the government, putting a dampener on much of the
momentum that has been building over the last few weeks.