COVID Update 44

Further to Update 43, more details have arrived and we are writing to advise you that certain venues will be legally required to display NHS QR code app posters in their venues by Thursday 24th September.

This applies to all venues from the following sectors:

• hospitality;
• leisure and tourism;
• close contact services;
• places of worship; and
• local authority venues

The BID cannot do this for you, you MUST apply for your venue's unique QR code here: www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster

Once you have completed the form, you will receive an email with the QR poster unique to your venue. Simply print the poster and display it in a visible and safe position at your venue. Visitors will then be able to scan the poster to check in. There are tips for displaying your poster available here: www.covid19.nhs.uk/pdf/tips-for-displaying-england.pdf

If you need more help

There’s step by step guidance to printing the QR code available here: www.covid19.nhs.uk/pdf/businesses-qr-guide.pdf

If you have problems using this online service, call the QR code support service.

QR code support
Telephone: 0800 540 4900
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm

Or alternatively contact the Environmental Health team at esadmin@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk or 01455 255948.

Venues should record and maintain contact details logs for customers, visitors and staff, and they should also download an official NHS QR code poster for their premises ahead of the launch of the NHS COVID-19 app this week.

This is vital for the NHS Test and Trace service in England to contact the necessary people if coronavirus outbreaks are identified in venues.

Displaying the poster is intended to make it easier for people to check-in at different premises once the app is rolled out nationally. If individuals choose to check-in using the QR code poster they do not need to log in via any other route.

The regulations will be enforced by Local Authorities, who will have the power to issue fines of up to £1,000 for venues that are failing to comply, or the police as a last resort. Fines will rise to up to £4,000 for repeat offenders.

How does it work?

When someone enters a venue and scans an official NHS QR code poster, the venue information will be logged on the user’s phone. If there has been a Covid case related to your premises the device will check if users have been at that location at the relevant time and if the app finds a match, users will get an alert anonymously with advice on what to do based on the level of risk.

What you need to do:

You should create and display a QR code poster at your venue by Thursday 24 September if you are:

a business, place of worship or community organisation with a physical location that is open to the public an event which is taking place in a physical location

If you have more than one venue, you need to create a separate QR code for each location. You can add multiple locations in the service.