Support and guidance for businesses - Coronavirus

Support for businesses

See the latest advice and support for businesses surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

​​See what local support is available:

University of Northampton

The University of Northampton offers a wide range of business support services to the Northamptonshire community and to the students and staff of the University.

SEMLEP Growth Hub

Advice for businesses in Northamptonshire is being co-ordinated by the SEMLEP Growth Hub:

Keep up-to-date with the latest advice, resources and webinars from SEMLEP on Twitter.

Business and IP Centre Northamptonshire

The Library Service is offering one-to-one Zoom sessions on taking the first steps to self-employment:

Recovery Through Enterprise

The Economic recovery plan for East Northamptonshire and Wellingborough.

The Government has made a full range of business support measures available to UK businesses, employees and the self-employed:

Coronavirus business support

Use the Government's online tool to find support relevant to your business:

Want to learn a new skill while at home? Find free, high quality digital and numeracy courses:

HMRC has established a helpline for the self-employed and businesses affected.

Please call 0800 024 1222 if you need help and advice.

Mental Health Europe have provided 8 top tips to look after our mental health around COVID-19.

8 ways to look after your mental health

Mates in Mind have created guidance on how to work from home effectively for both staff and managers supporting their staff.

COVID-19 posters and leaflets

These posters are designed to remind employees to behave sensibly when car sharing, when having a cigarette in the smoking area and to continue to be COVID secure inside and outside of the workplace. We urge you to print these posters out and display them across your sites.

These posters have been created to help people clearly understand what they need to do to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 when using a bus or car share arrangement to travel to and from their place of work.

Please print these and display them in communal staff areas around your premises as appropriate:

What the posters say

Bus travel - Take care when you travel poster:

Take care if you car share

  • Wear a face covering
  • Keep the windows open
  • Wash your hands before and after your journey
  • Clean door handles and seat belts regularly

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

Bus travel - Take care when you travel landscape poster:

Don't pay the price. Protect yourself and others from COVID-19

Bus travel - Take care when you travel icons:

Take care when you travel.

Don't pay the price. Protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

  • You could be fined for not wearing a face covering.
  • Wear over your nose and mouth for all of your journey
  • Keep a safe distance from others
  • Wash your hands before and after your journey

Car sharing - Take care when you travel poster landscape:

Take care when you travel.

  • You could be fined for not wearing a face covering.  Make sure it covers your nose and mouth.
  • Keep 2 metres apart from others.

Don't pay the price. Protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

What this poster says - car share poster 

If you car share, please remember to take care. If you can cycle, walk or drive alone to work you should do so.

If you have to share a car, please follow the guidance below to keep yourself and others safe:

  • Everyone in the car should wear a face covering 
  • Clean your car between journeys, especially door handles and seatbelts
  • Always car share with the same people
  • Space apart from others where possible
  • Keep the windows open to help with ventilation
  • Keep to small groups at any one time
  • Wash your hands before and after any journey

If you need this poster in other languages please contact publichealthcomms@northnorthants.gov.uk.

What this poster says - staying at home poster

Why staying at home is very important after a Positive test.

It is very important that people with symptoms of or a positive COVID-19 test and their household members stay at home. Staying at home will help prevent the spread of the virus to family, friends, the wider community, and particularly those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test you must remain at home for at least 10 days after the onset of your symptoms. This will reduce the risk of you infecting others.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test, then you should avoid contact with other household members as much as possible.

Other members of your household, including those who do not have any symptoms, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. You must not go out even to buy food or other essentials, and any exercise must be taken within your home. This 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in your house became ill or if they do not have symptoms, from the day their test was taken.

Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.

Avoid contact with other members of your household as much as possible

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, it is important to reduce the spread of infection to others in your household as much as possible.

You should stay in a well-ventilated room with a window to the outside that can be opened, separate from other people in your home if this is possible. Keep the door closed.

Use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household, if available. If you have to share these facilities, regular cleaning will be required. If a separate bathroom is not available, consider drawing up a bathroom rota for washing or bathing. You should use the facilities last, before thoroughly cleaning the bathroom. You should use separate towels from other household members, both for drying yourself after bathing or showering and for hand hygiene purposes.

You should avoid using shared spaces such as kitchens whilst others are present. Take your meals back to your room to eat. Use a dishwasher (if available) to clean and dry your used crockery and cutlery. If this is not possible, wash them by hand using detergent and warm water and dry them thoroughly, using a separate tea towel.

What this poster says - Don't leave COVID secure when you walk out the door poster

Follow these simple steps:

  • Avoid car sharing – you must wear face coverings if you share cars with anyone outside of your household or bubble and have the windows down, clean the door handles inside and out.
  • If you use a smoking area,stay 2 metres away from others and avoid facing other people
  • Self-isolate for 10 days from when your symptoms started.
  • All other household members must stay at home for 10 days from the day the first person became ill or their test was taken.
  • Stay in a well-ventilated room with a window that can open, separate from other people in your home if possible. Keep the door closed.
  • Use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household, if available. If this is not possible, consider having a bathroom rota for washing or bathing. You should use the facilities last, before thoroughly cleaning the bathroom. Use separate towels from other household members, both for bathing or showering and for hand hygiene purposes.
  • Avoid using shared spaces such as kitchens whilst others are present. Take your meals back to your room to eat.
  • Use a dishwasher (if available) to clean and dry your used crockery and cutlery. If this is not possible, wash them by hand using detergent and warm water and dry them thoroughly, using a separate tea towel.

Book COVID-19 tests by calling 119 or book a test online.

Food processing and production settings

​The Gov.uk website has guidance on working safely in food processing and production settings:

Contacts

Businesses can reach their local Environmental Health & Licensing team or the HSE using the following details:

North Northamptonshire

West Northamptonshire

 eh@westnorthamptonshire.gov.uk