The authority launched the scheme 4 weeks ago, alongside a team of 17 Covid support advisors to carry out inspections, as part of efforts to boost customer confidence and acknowledge businesses which are doing the right thing.
So far, 1,118 businesses, including shops, restaurants, pubs and hairdressers across the city have passed inspections.
They have all been awarded green tick ‘Covid Compliant’ signs to display in their windows.
The council has been working closely with businesses to provide advice and to support the implementation of new measures required by law to improve the safety of customers and employees.
A business is deemed to be Covid compliant when it can evidence when inspected the following:
- a Covid-19 risk assessment
- a contact tracing system is in place to collect the details of customers and visitors
- the NHS QR Code is displayed and working correctly
- Covid-19 safety signage is displayed
- a system is in place for checking Covid-19 symptoms of staff and customers
- a cleaning regime is in place
- facilities for hand washing are available
- steps have been taken to maintain a 2 metre distance and where people cannot maintain two metre distancing, the business has implemented risk mitigation
- staff are wearing adequate PPE
- customers are wearing a face covering
Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment, said: “The Covid Compliance scheme is going really well and well over 1,000 businesses have already got their green ticks to demonstrate to the public they are following the rules.
“As a council, we felt it was vital to do something positive to recognise the majority of businesses in our city which have worked hard to get all the right measures in place to keep their staff and customers safe.
“The feedback from the business community has been really positive, one business owner told us that they own restaurants in other towns and we are the only council doing a scheme like this.
“Clearly, a business is only as good as it’s last inspection, so we want feedback from the public as to the businesses that are doing well and those which they have any concerns about.”
Aman Singh, owner of Mr Singh’s All Vegetarian Pizza, on Dudley Road, Blakenhall, which has been awarded a sticker, said: “The Covid Compliance scheme that City of Wolverhampton Council is running has been a great help to us, we’ve got other restaurants, in London and other parts of the Midlands, and we haven’t had this level of support anywhere else.
“With the Covid support advisors they have, it really creates a feeling of the council working with businesses, rather than trying to enforce something upon us. So, I think it’s a breath of fresh air. It reassures us that we’re doing everything we can to make the restaurant safe for our staff and our customers.”
Georgia Lawrence, a council Covid support advisor, said: “Just be reassured that when you see a sticker at a business, we’ve been into the premises. We’ve asked the questions that you want to know, we’ve checked that it’s clean, we’ve checked that they’re doing everything right and they know the risks and that they’re implementing the safety measures that they need to be doing.”
The Covid Compliant window stickers feature a website address – Covid Compliant and QR code to enable people to provide feedback, good or bad, to the council.
Any complaints about businesses will be investigated and the council will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any establishment which is flouting the rules.
Customers can also view which businesses have been awarded a sticker on the website and businesses can request an inspection.
