Holding meetings outside, getting screens up between colleagues and ending the practice of hot-desking are the new norms companies will have to adopt to prevent coronavirus infections among employees, if they choose to get their staff back into offices.

The government’s long-awaited 11 May advice on making workplaces “Covid-19 Secure” spells out radical makeovers for firms who cannot permit employees to work from home. Further, the government expects businesses with more than 50 workers to publish their risk assessment for addressing Covid-19 on their websites.