Frequently Asked Questions

Can I establish an outdoor area distant from my premises?

In some situations, an outdoor area not immediately adjacent to your premises may be acceptable.  However, this would generally only be considered where premises can demonstrate that:

• Customers can be serviced safely from within the outdoor area, preventing the need to transfer food or drink from the premises.
• There is suitable and sufficient access to sanitary accommodation, under the control of the premises, from the outdoor area.

If a service area is to be provided at the outdoor area, hand washing facilities will be required. For further guidance on this please see our  Hand Washing Leaflet [259kb]. Further Food Hygiene information can be found here.

You will have to consider how you can effectively monitor adherence to social distancing requirements in the outdoor area if it is not located directly outside the premises. These arrangements should be documented in your Covid-19 control plan.

Can I continue to trade if my street trader licence has expired?

Information on the extension of street trader licences can be found .

Can I close Roads to support my business re-opening?

Unfortunately the council has limited powers to close roads or restrict traffic on a temporary basis. In the context of the current COVID-19 situation and recovery, these powers can only be used where there is a likelihood of danger to the public. So, for example, where pavements are very narrow but there are lots of pedestrians who might need to pass each other and the only way to maintain physical distance is to step on to the road, the council could consider closing the road to vehicular traffic.

These powers do not extend to closing roads for the sole purpose of allowing street cafes or similar to be located on the public road.

Can A boards be used on the footpath to promote premises?

Please note that 'A' boards on footways present obstructions for those with mobility issues and also for the visually impaired. These are not permitted on footways.

What will happen if a member of staff tests positive for Covid-19?

If a member of your staff has been notified that they have tested positive for Covid-19 they must self-isolate in accordance with advice from Test and Protect and should not attend work.

Environmental Health may contact you to discuss your covid-19 controls, including social distancing and infection control, in order to assess the risk to others who have been on the premises, including staff and customers.

Do not send other staff for covid-19 test unless they are displaying symptoms or they have been advised to get tested by Test and Protect.

If your business offers on-site services e.g. bar, restaurant, cinema, close contact services etc. you may be asked to provide officers with information on customers who have been on the premises to help identify potential contacts. The more detailed this information is, the easier it will be to identify and/or eliminate potential contacts and, therefore, fewer people may be required to self-isolate.

Depending on your procedures, some staff or customers may be identified as contacts. You can reduce the chance of this by ensuring staff adhere to 2m physical distancing where possible and implementing controls detailed in the guidance which has been produced by Food Standards Scotland.

What should I do if a member of staff is identified as a contact of someone with Covid-19?

If a member of staff has been identified by Test and Protect as a contact of someone with Covid-19 they must self-isolate for the period of time indicated by Test and Protect. They must not be asked, or allowed, to attend work in that time.

The self-isolation period will start from the date of last exposure and this will be confirmed by Test and Protect.

Staff must not be sent for a Covid-19 test unless displaying symptoms or asked to do so by Test and Protect as they would still need to self-isolate, even if the result is negative.

Why do I need to keep customer contact details?

As a business, you can control the spread of Covid-19 within the premises. However, as a person may be infectious for 48 hours prior to developing symptoms, you may not know someone with Covid-19 has been on your premises until a few days after their visit.

If Environmental Health are notified that a confirmed case has visited a premises whilst potentially infectious, customer details are critical to allow for contacts to be identified and traced. This applies to premises which offer on-site services including bars, restaurants, cinemas, close contact services etc.

The more detailed this information is, the easier it will be to identify and/or eliminate potential contacts and, therefore, fewer people may be required to self-isolate.

If you allow customers to enter without keeping their details, some form of publicity may be required in order to identify any potential contacts in the event of a positive case.

The Check in Scotland App and webpage is a free to use tool for businesses to assist with collection of contact details.

Further guidance on collection of customer contact details can be found here.