SHROPSHIRE Council is urging businesses across the county to comply with the latest requirements to control the spread of Covid-19.

The latest requirements have been enforced from Friday, September 18, with ruling that businesses must now record all customer, staff and visitor details.

Businesses like restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs, as well as hotels and other forms of guest accommodation, museums and galleries, betting shops and bingo halls, sport and leisure centres, and tourist attractions, are all being urged to ensure they are complying.

Close physical contact services such as hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattooists, sports and massage therapists are also to adhere to the requirements, as well as services provided for social, cultural and recreational purposes in youth and community centres and village halls.

Where a group attends premises for dining-in or when onsite, the requirement to provide contact details applies to all those in the group and not only one person.

This information must be stored for 21 days and, if requested, shared with NHS Test and Trace or local public health officials.

All businesses that provide food or drink to be consumed on the premises, including in seating made available adjacent to the premises, are now required to turn away any customers who fail to provide complete contact details or provide inaccurate details.

Businesses must also take all reasonable measures to ensure their customers follow social distancing requirements and comply with the ‘Rule of Six’.

While there are exemptions, including for ‘household bubbles’, in principle businesses must not take bookings for more than six people, or allow groups of more than six people to be admitted to their premises.

They also must not allow separate groups to mingle.

From Thursday, September 24, businesses must display an official NHS QR code poster so that customers and visitors can ‘check in’ using this option as an alternative to providing contact details.

Businesses can create a QR code at www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster

Frequently asked questions about the QR code can be found at https://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/category/?id=CAT-01043&parentid=CAT-01027

Staff and customers are being reminded to wash their hands, wear a mask and maintain a two metre distance.