Changes to Openreach Visits due to Coronavirus All the latest from Aquiss

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New measures have been introduced with immediate effect by Openreach whilst dealing with New Installs and Repair Faults following the escalating situation with coronavirus.

To make sure these visits can continue safely, Openreach engineers will now be phoning ahead and asking some simple questions before they arrive or enter the property. Openreach engineers are asked to avoid close human contact with end customers where possible whilst ensuring customers have a working service (working voice and broadband at reasonable speed).

  • Engineering work will first be done outside of the customer’s premises to try to enable working service
  • All non-appointed work will finish at the external point nearest to the premises
  • Appointed work will finish where possible at the nearest point to the premises unless the engineer is unable to get a working service
  • If an engineer cannot get working service outside of the premises, they can enter if they feel it is safe and after asking two questions:
1) Has anyone in the premises been diagnosed with COVID-19, has been asked to self-isolate, or has been travelling to a coronavirus high-risk area or country in the last 14 days?

2) Is anyone in the premises suffering from flu-like symptoms?

  • If the answer to either of those questions is yes, the engineer will not enter the premises and the job will be furthered for reappointment four weeks later
  • If the answer to both questions is no the engineer will enter the premises taking additional precautions (such as asking the end customer to vacate to another room)
  • Time in the premises will be limited to providing service to the NTE – additional work such as removing bridge taps, NTE shifts, internal wiring/additional cabling, etc will not be done

If Openreach are unable to reach you on the phone ahead of a visit, your appointment will now be skipped and need to be rearranged again through Aquiss. Please be aware that the situation the country is in is fluid and this guidance may change again.

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