South: COVID 'chaperone' is in demand

As the country emerges slowly from the coronavirus lockdown a new type of job has emerged – the ‘COVID chaperone’.

Berry Recruitment says the number of clients looking for people to manage queues, gatherings and other assemblies has rocketed.

The work is somewhere between security and ‘front of house’ and those with the skills are needed in a variety of sectors.

BRG works from nearly 40 locations across England and Wales and has branches in Southampton and Gosport.

It is redeploying many of its workers from other areas to the new chaperone roles.

Lee Gamble, managing director of Berry Recruitment, said: “Businesses, attractions and organisations looking to reopen have to insist upon social distancing.

“And while people are generally happy to follow the rules they need to be overseen. This is where the chaperones come in.

“Luckily those who work in sectors that have been hit hard, such as retail and hairdressing, often have the people skills to be effective in these roles.

“To be able to gently corral people through the necessary procedures and processes is a skillset that many of our clients are looking for.

“We have seen how willing people are to congregate in numbers, whether it’s on the coast, queuing for McDonald’s or at shops and car parks.

“And with more places starting to open – including schools, theatres, beauty spots, visitor attractions and sporting events – there is a growing need for control.

“With much of the summer season still ahead of us and the number of gatherings expected to increase, these new chaperone roles are likely to be here for some time to come.

“These workers need to manage people in terms of where they go and when they should be sanitising their hands.

“Throughout this crisis we have worked tirelessly to find work for our army of mainly temporary workers and redeploy them in new roles.”