What Hartlepool businesses and customers should be doing to follow Test and Trace system

Council officials say hospitality businesses and their customers have equal responsibility to ensure that the Government’s Test and Trace system is effective.

They are calling on cafes, bars and restaurants to ensure they have strong procedures in place to accurately collect data about customers.

And customers are encouraged to proactively request businesses to record their details where such procedures are not in place.

The council’s Public Protection Department is currently contacting local businesses as part of a North East initiative to provide advice around Covid-19 measures and early outbreak management, including the Test and Trace system.

Craig Blundred, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Acting Director of Public Health, said: “In the event of a case of Covid-19, it is vital that we know the recent movements of the person in question so that we can quickly identify and isolate others who they may have been in close contact with.”

For Test and Trace, businesses are asked to collect names and a contact number of all employees and log the dates and times staff worked.

The name of a customer or visitor should be recorded along with the number of people in a group along with a contact phone number for each customer/visitor or for the ‘lead member’ of a group.

The date of their visit, arrival time and, where possible, departure time should also be logged and the number and location of the table they sat at within a premises.

The council adds if a customer will interact with only one member of staff like a waiter then the name of that assigned staff member should be recorded alongside the name of the customer.

All records should be held for 21 days after which information should be securely disposed of or deleted.

In Seaham, two pubs recently closed for deep cleans after reports customers had tested positive for the virus.

And in Hartlepool, the reopening of Brierton Sports Centre was delayed after a member of staff contracted coronavirus.

Latest government guidance is available for businesses from the council’s Public Protection Team on (01429) 284024 or email [email protected]

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