Watch Out! Scammers During COVID-19

Over the past several months, there have been some pretty drastic changes all around the world, thanks to the global pandemic, COVID-19. People are still confined in their homes in many parts of the world, and there are active quarantines to minimise the spread of the contagious disease. This pandemic has changed a lot of things, and have prepared people for the worst. Among other things, people have now started to realise the importance of insurance. There have been thousands of deaths all around the world just because they were unable to afford the medical fees. Other than this, there have been losses suffered as tourists had no insurance and were affected by many issues in foreign countries. So, in order to prepare yourself better for the unexpected, like this pandemic, here is what you can do to manage the risks!

As we can now socialise with up to 6 family members and friends in outdoor spaces, including back gardens, a BBQ is a great way to have some fun with your favourite people whilst staying safe. However, there is now a bit more to think about with increased hygiene standards and social distancing crucial in preventing a second wave of the coronavirus. With the summer months well underway, we share how you can host a perfect BBQ. 1. Planning your space Planning your garden space and how people will move around your garden will help everyone to maintain social distancing. For example, you could create a one way system so that people can collect their food and navigate back to their seats with ease. Setting out a seating plan will also help to minimise movement and touching around your garden. 2. Hygiene Whilst this is already a must, ensuring that you wash your hands prior to preparing or handling food and utensils is crucial to reduce the risk of germs spreading. If you have hand sanitizer at home, have this available outdoors for your guests so that they can regularly keep their hands clean during their visit too. You could ask your guests to bring their own condiments and cutlery where possible too. 3. Food preparation Stick to having one person in charge of food preparation and BBQ'ing. Although there is minimal risk of any transmission from food or food packaging, this will ensure that touching is kept to a minimum. Making food preparations prior to guests arriving will allow you to prepare food calmly with no distractions. It will also ensure that you can spend as much of your valuable time catching up with your guests instead of in the kitchen. 4. Plating food Often at BBQs you may be used to having food in the middle of the table where people can help themselves. To reduce physical contact it is better for people to plate all of the food they would like onto their individual plate once food is ready so that there is less touching of surfaces and utensils. You could create a queuing system where people can use their own utensils to serve themselves, or you could plate the food up for them. This is especially important for foods such as dips and nibbles where you would usually share the packet. 5. Watch the booze! A couple of drinks at a BBQ is part of the fun for many. But after a few drinks people can tend to become lazy and forgetful; making social distancing more difficult to manage. Watch the drinks so that you can continue to be aware of the government guidelines. 6. Facilities People are aloud to enter your home to use the toilet as long as they thoroughly wash their hands. You should keep some disposable paper towels in the bathroom instead of having everybody use one of your towels to dry their hands. Wipes should be used to wipe any surfaces as required.

With businesses around the world impacted by COVID-19, returning to work is one of the main priorities for many. Ensuring that you can create the safest environment in which your staff can operate without risk of infection is key, as it’s absolutely vital to maintain optimum well being throughout your team. There are several different steps that you can take to make sure your business can safely open its doors once more, so you don’t need to stress trying to figure out how to restart operations amidst the current pandemic. You should aim to abide by social distancing guidelines within your workspace, requesting that staff members always keep at least 2 metres away from each other. It’s a good idea to invest in some kind of disposable protection that your team can utilise daily, including face masks that cover their nose and mouth as well as gloves too. Advise your staff to provide their own meals and eat outside to avoid potentially spreading the virus through communal food, and regularly remind your team to wash their hands with an antibacterial soap for at least 20 seconds. It’s important that you can seek out the necessary health insurance required to protect both yourself and your employees whilst on the job, as they are potentially risking their wellbeing each time they attend a shift. Insurance can provide both healthcare cover for ill or injured workers as well as ultimate peace of mind for your team to know that their employer has their back no matter what may happen.

Check your gutters After the cold winter months with freezing temperatures, gutters are at risk of leaks and especially following the recent spell of rainy weather which can move debris into gutters, summer is the ideal time to check their health. Leaky and unsecure guttering can lead to bigger problems of water damage to your property, as well as being a fall hazard. Whilst you’re checking your gutters, go ahead and check your drainage system at the same time to ensure that there aren’t any blockages there, too. Doors and windows Similar to your guttering, doors and windows have been through a rough period by the time summer is in full swing. With the cold months of winter potentially cracking door and window seals, followed by spring showers causing further damage, it is imperative to check your doors and windows. Of course, if you have double glazing this is less of an issue, but checking that your seals are in order is certainly a good use of half an hour during the summer to stop any problems later on in the year. Central heating When the weather heats up, the temptation is simply to turn off the central heating, give the radiators a holiday and then start everything back up once temperatures inevitably plummet. Keeping the heating on a low-level through the colder summer days will keep the central heating system ticking over and also prevent any damp issues. During the summer, bleeding your radiators will also ensure that they remain efficient – if you’re unsure of how to do this then a quick search online will direct you to some intuitive videos. If you go on holiday during the summer, the same applies; keeping the heating on a low level may save you larger problems in the long run. Sound the alarms Whilst a check of your smoke and CO2 alarms may not seem like a particularly summery activity to be carrying out, you should be checking these units several times a year. By building these checks into your summer list of tasks, you are keeping yourself and others safe. Insulation throughout the seasons Updating your insulation may intuitively seem like a winter task, but part of keeping your home cool and comfortable in the summer is good insulation as this will stop heat penetrating the building. Of course, when it comes to the winter months you will also reap the benefits of insulation as it will keep the heat from escaping, ensuring a cosy property when the temperatures begin to plummet.