COVID 19 Advice For Consumers – Jan 2021 Update

4th January 2021

With the changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, information and advice from Government can change quickly. For all the latest Government information on COVID-19 and the measures the Government, and Devolved Governments, are taking, please visit the UK Government website, the Scottish Government website, the Welsh Government website or the Northern Irish Government website Advice for those in the Republic of Ireland visit the Irish Government website.

Our message to consumers of heating oil who purchase their fuel from UKIFDA Members is still the same as our first communications placed on our website in March 2020 and updated in August 2020 that we would like to reassure consumers of liquid fuel that as suppliers of essential heating oil and transport fuels, our UKIFDA Full Members are included in the key worker definition. Their core staff continue to work very hard and will continue to do so as we move through Winter and experience bad weather events.

We are encouraging consumers to follow this advice.

• Be patient – trust your regular supplier.  Please also remember to check the level of oil in your tank on a regular basis as you may be using more heating oil if you are spending more time at home and tell your heating oil supplier when you will run out so that they can prioritise and don’t leave it until the last minute.
• Your local UKIFDA heating oil distributor has depots and tankers operating in your local area. Please give them a call as they will be able to provide you with accurate local information and up to date delivery schedules.
• Explain your circumstances – perhaps you are self-isolating or in one of the vulnerable groups classified by the Government or aged 70+.
• Don’t order if you don’t need oil. This will help spread demand over a wider time period and better fit to resources available given that any driver who shows signs of the virus must self-isolate or if areas of the UK are experiencing bad weather making deliveries times longer.

Many of our members operate the Cold Weather Priority Scheme for those over 75 and some Members are temporarily extending this scheme to offer priority delivery to those in the age bracket 70+ and where possible those who have to self-isolate due to COVID 19. Please check with your UKIFDA Member what support they are providing for you.

We continue to liaise with the relevant government departments to ensure that our Members and their staff are supported to meet the needs of their customers via additional flexibility in working practices and regulations.

The wellbeing of our Members staff and customers remains a priority and our Members have put in place reasonable and proportionate arrangements to protect their staff (both office based and delivery drivers) and customers. This includes following Public Health guidance including:

• Washing your hands with soap and water often.
• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing and putting it in the bin straight away.
• Not touching your face if your hands are not clean.

Specific arrangements will vary from distributor to distributor – so please check your UKIFDA supplier’s website or ask them when ordering by telephone – but they may include:

• Asking customers to keeping a distance from delivery drivers
• Introducing contactless delivery so customers do not come into contact with a driver’s handheld device or paperwork to confirm delivery/receipt.
• As part of contactless delivery, advising customers that cheques and cash cannot be accepted as a form of payment.
• Advising customers not to attend the premises of liquid fuels distributors and to work with members if they request to hold video or telephone meetings in place of face-to-face or is customers are allowed to attend premises to wear face masks
• Asking customers to refrain from shaking hands

This continues to be an evolving situation, which we and our Members will continue to monitor as the winter weather changes. The situation is kept under constant review and any change in guidance will be based on Government and scientific advice.

If you would like to contact a local UKIFDA Member please visit https://ukifda.org/find-a-distributor/