Your risk assessment will help you to decide whether you are ready to re-open your building, how your services might need to change, and what you will need to do in order to re-open safely.
a) Where possible, consult with your client group and community to find out what people are likely to need from any re-opened services and how confident they are about coming back to your building.
b) Community facilities following may be exempt from mixing rules if they are hosting people ‘for work, or the provisions of voluntary or charitable services’. We advise organisations to think carefully about whether they would designate themselves as a service, and wherever possible to follow the above measures to protect the population.
c) Consider how ongoing concern about coronavirus and the restrictions on group sizes and mixing might affect the quality of your services. If the quality and effectiveness of your activities are likely to be reduced, it might be more appropriate to delay reopening and focus on other delivery methods.
d) Consider whether reopening would disadvantage any of the service users – for example, where switching a service from online to in person might leave out those unable to attend. How can any disadvantages be reduced?
e) Consider any additional costs associated with COVID-19 safety measures. How will these costs be covered? Keep in touch with funders and commissioners about how delivery may need to change and whether resources can be reprofiled.
f) Before re-opening, secure and set up the equipment you need to support social distancing throughout the building, e.g. screens or dividers to reduce contact, signs and stickers.
g) In planning for re-opening, consider whether you can pool resources with other organisations. Can you offer space to other projects who are providing support to the community?