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<p>On 13 March, the Government issued a statement encouraging retailers to increase
the frequency of deliveries. It also strongly encouraged local authorities not to
enforce planning action unnecessarily that would restrict deliveries of food and other
essentials during this time, given the exceptional circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>The
Government has granted a temporary relaxation of the enforcement of the drivers’ hours
rules for all road haulage until 31 May 2020 (which is being kept under review), to
help alleviate some of the unprecedented pressures on local and national supply chains.
This is on the understanding that driver welfare and road safety must not be compromised
and the relaxations only used if absolutely necessary.</p><p><br> The Government has
well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply
situations. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we have intensified our discussions with
the industry and together we continue to monitor the situation closely, taking the
necessary steps to address issues wherever they arise. We welcome the actions that
the industry is taking and we will continue this engagement with industry to keep
food supply chains flowing and make sure people have the food and products they need.</p>
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