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* On 5 March COVID-19 was listed as a notifiable disease in England. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolved governments had done so by 26 February.
*From 16 March the government began listing social distancing guidance advising large gatherings should not take place: it advised against all non-essential travel and social contact, to include working from home where possible and avoiding venues such as pubs, restaurants and theatres. These were updated daily with further restrictions requested (but not mandated) of individuals and organisations.
*On 18 March the government announced loan guarantees (CBILS) for some businesses following forecasts of a significant drop in business. For the hospitality and leisure sector there will be a business rates holiday and a £25k cash grant per retail and leisure business for those without specific pandemic insurance.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51935467 BBC News] (Retrieved 18 March 2020)</ref> This was subsequently extended to include other measures, including a 'furlough' scheme by which the government funded up to 80% of wages for laid off staff.
*On 23 March more severe measures closed the shops and resulted in a partial 'shutdown', with people told not to leave their homes.
*On 17 April the partial shutdown was extended for a further three weeks. The government pay scheme for furloughed workers was extended until the end of June and would be extended again "if necessary".<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52323918 BBC Business, 'Coronavirus: Salary subsidy scheme extended into June', 17 April 2020] (Retrieved 18 April 2020)</ref>
*16 April: the appeal reached £416,193.
*30 April: the appeal passed £650,000.
*7 May The SVR announced it would apply for a grant from the [[:Category:Lottery funding#National_Lottery_Heritage_Fund|National Lottery Heritage Fund]] for £50,000 to help heritage businesses who have suffered because of the COVID-19 crisis. It was also working on the application for a CBILS loan. A visitor survey will be launched to attempt to gauge the feelings of our regular visitors, to give an indication of consumer confidence and what level of visitor numbers in the coming 12 months.
==Effects on the SVR==
