PEMBROKESHIRE businesses and their customers are being reminded of the important role that accurate record keeping will play in helping to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The Welsh Government has produced guidance on keeping records of staff, customers and visitors as part of the Test, Trace, Protect (TTP) scheme.

The guidance is here: https://gov.wales/keeping-records-staff-customers-and-visitors-test-trace-protect

The idea is for customers and visitors to provide their contact details to the businesses, to be shared with the TTP service, in the event of a localised incident where persons may have been exposed to covid-19.

This will help to identify people who may have been exposed to the virus and who may be pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, but still at risk of spreading the infection, so that appropriate quarantine advice can be provided.

These measures will form part of essential defences helping to prevent the transmission of covid-19 within communities as disease restrictions are eased, helping to quickly identify potential cases and to contain spread.

If this is done effectively it will help protect communities, minimise the risk of a further spike in disease and the prospect of future lockdowns whether on a national or local level.

If your business is in one of the following sectors you should collect details and maintain records of staff, customers and visitors to your premises, regardless of how large or small the venue is:

• Hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes.

• Tourism and leisure, including theme parks, museums and cinemas.

• Close contact services such as hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattooists, sports and massage therapists, dress fitters, tailors and fashion designers.

• Facilities provided by local authorities, such as libraries and leisure centres.

Retail is not covered as the focus is on higher risk settings where customers and visitors come into sustained, close contact in one place over a longer time.

The guidance also does not apply where services are taken off-site immediately, for example a food outlet providing takeaway and complying with the 2m social distancing measures.

The details that should be recorded are:

Staff

• The names of staff who work at the premises

• A contact telephone number for each member of staff

• The dates and times that staff are at work

Customers and visitors

• The names of customers and visitors, or for a group, the name of one member of the group – the ‘lead member’.

• A contact number for each customer or visitor, or for the lead member of a group of people

• The date of visit and arrival and departure time.

While it is acknowledged that it could be difficult to record such detail as arrival and departure times, including staff shift times, the purpose is to reduce the number of customers and staff needing to be contacted and potentially asked to self-isolate by the Test, Trace, Protect service.

Records should be held for 21 days from the date of each separate visit that a staff member, customer or visitor made.

This covers the typical maximum 14-day incubation period of the virus plus an additional seven days during which people may be infectious after symptom onset.

After 21 days the information should be securely disposed of or deleted.

While there is no legal requirement to do so, by sharing details, customers will support the Test, Trace, Protect service’s efforts to control the spread of the virus.

The guidance explains further what will happen if a visitor, customer or member of staff tests positive for covid-19 and what can be expected if the Test, Trace, Protect contacts the business.

Pembrokeshire County Council Leader, Cllr David Simpson, said: “The Test, Trace, Protect system requires all of us to do our bit to stop the spread of coronavirus.

“Part of that is being willing to pass on our details when we go for a meal or a drink or visit local attractions and, just as importantly, those businesses taking accurate records.

“Hopefully those details will never need to be passed onto the Test, Trace and Protect service but if they are, the team can then get to work and help prevent further spread.