X
Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Mail
Copy linkLocal lockdowns and Leicester: do they show us part of the next normal?
Updated 7th July 2022 | 3 min read Published 14th July 2020
The Prime Minister has suggested there will be no further national lockdown to combat the COVID-19 crisis but has not completely ruled it out.
With widespread fears of a second wave of the virus hitting the UK later this year, it’s hard to be certain of anything at this stage.
And, even if the whole country isn’t plunged into another stay-at-home scenario, local lockdowns have already begun.
Local lockdowns begin
Leicester finds itself shut down, while the rest of the country eases restrictions. It’s unclear how long for, with infections rising. The Government has warned other cities face similar prospects. Blackburn is the latest.
At the weekend a list of 20 other UK areas that could face being locked down again was reported.
Looking worldwide, we’ve recently seen authorities in Melbourne have ordered 3,000 people to stay in their tower block homes for at least five days. In northern Spain, 200,000 people have been put back into lockdown.
Elsewhere, restrictions have been reinstated in parts of Germany after a sudden surge in coronavirus cases and Pakistan has done similar in selected areas of several cities.
The next normal
The message here? Things are not going back to how they were – or at least not any time soon.
Clearly, businesses will have to continue to operate in a more flexible way, enabling staff to work from home where possible. Indeed, UK Government guidelines continue to state that employers must restrict staff numbers even they are returning to their offices.
Are you ready for a local lockdown?
Have you considered what your firm would do if your local area was locked down?
Did you have to take a sticky plaster approach during the initial phase of the pandemic?
Organisations are realising they need to have a longer term solution, for the reasons above, and more.
Have you got a plan?
The businesses that have thrived the most during the pandemic were already set up for remote working. Typically, they had a ‘desktop in the cloud’ solution in place – otherwise known as Hosting.
We helped many customers to get set up quickly with IRIS Hosting, which has enabled firms to carry on as close to normal as possible and avoid missing vital deadlines.
Now, we’ve made IRIS Hosting even better than before. Our next generation service utilises the Microsoft Azure platform, enabling firms to host a wide variety of Windows-based solutions and any accountancy applications, regardless of vendor.
It means you can work anywhere, anytime.
IRIS Hosting on Microsoft Azure will empower accountants to support clients through:
- 24/7 secure remote access to the entire firm
- access to a dedicated customer support line
- world class cyber security delivered by Microsoft’s Cyber Defence Operations Centre
- a more familiar and integrated user interface, based on Windows 10
- OneDrive and Microsoft Teams for audio and video conferencing.
- 1TB of Microsoft OneDrive Storage for each person using the service
Want more information?
Find more details on the improved IRIS Hosting here and to discover the benefits of the new solution over the traditional service visit here.
