Clarify which businesses should be closed

I know a lot of businesses, particularly SMEs, have closed because of government messaging. Social distancing can be implemented at lots of workplaces that aren’t obviously falling into the “essential” category. Owners have shut down because they think they are being asked to, when actually they could still be working, and employing, with small simple changes to ensure safety. It penalises those people who are responsible, and who want to do the right thing, but who maybe don’t have access to government or industry association advice. These businesses should be supported and enabled to continue. Maybe an advice line or a business FAQ to help?

While the economy has to come after public health, the economic hardship caused by this pandemic will cause lots of additional harm for many years to come. We can minimise this additional damage by explaining that non-essential businesses that don’t cause extra risk of infection are actually helping the country by going back to work.