Responding to the Prime Minister’s statement to Parliament on the ‘Living with Covid’ strategy, Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber, said:
“The majority of businesses in the Liverpool City Region will be warm to the removal of restrictions and the direction of travel towards pre-pandemic trading conditions.
“However, the ensuing period will not be without its challenges for businesses. Access to free testing has been crucial in managing staff absences and reassuring customers, so the decision to remove free testing must be accompanied by government support to provide kits at an affordable level. It is also important the government works closely with businesses to plan the next stages of the road to recovery and does not simply pass the burden of public health decisions on to them.
“The real success of these latest steps will be measured in confidence – within the wider public to return to busy settings, among staff to work without protective measures and among business owners that they can truly operate at full capacity and plan ahead without fear of future trading interruptions. We look forward to hearing more details of how the government plans to create this level of reassurance among the regional business community.”