Covid UK: Pub landlords celebrate as social distancing is dropped and customers can order at bar

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Pub landlords and nightclub managers are celebrating an end to social distancing, QR codes and table limits in venues across England from July 19 as Boris Johnson tonight confirmed a bonfire of virus rules and restrictions from the so-called Freedom Day.

Hospitality chiefs who have warned of the devastation wreaked to their industry by successive lockdowns during the pandemic are praising the end of compulsory mask wearing and table service in venues in two weeks declared by the Prime Minister this evening.

At a Downing Street press conference, a bullish Mr Johnson also confirmed that nightclubs will be allowed to reopen for the first time since the first shutdown was imposed in March last year as he urged the public to use common sense and gauge risk for themselves. 

UKHospitality said the announcement ‘marks a major milestone in how England will come to live with Covid and will be celebrated by hospitality business owners’ – but warned ‘it will still be a long road back for businesses that have been forced to take on debt just to survive’.

Chief executive Kate Nicholls said: ‘The Prime Minister’s announcement marks a major milestone in how England will come to live with Covid and will be celebrated by hospitality business owners and their staff across the country. 

‘For the vast majority of hospitality businesses, 19th July – if confirmed next week – will be the first time in 16 months that they have been able to realistically look to break even and move towards profitability.   

‘It will still be a long road back for businesses that have been forced to take on debt just to survive, especially with the reintroduction of business rates payments. Nevertheless, this is a critical move that will unleash a sector that is eager to play its part in the wider national recovery, to repay the support afforded it by the Government.’

The British Beer & Pub Association welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement and said the easing would allow more than 2,000 more pubs forced to stay shut due to social distancing restrictions to reopen.  

But after nearly 18 months of closure or operating under heavy restrictions, the trade body warned the ditching of lockdown measures would mark just the beginning of the sector’s recovery from the pandemic and urged the Government to reform VAT, beer duty and business rates. 

Emma McClarkin, its chief executive, said ‘Covid, the lockdowns and restrictions have nearly destroyed our pubs’. She added:‘The lifting of all remaining restrictions on pubs in England, if the Government sticks to its roadmap, is hugely welcome for our sector. A pint of beer on July 19th is going to taste all the sweeter!

‘After nearly 18 months of forced closure or operating under severe restrictions – which crippled the viability of pubs – July 19th should mark the beginning of the recovery for our sector in England.

‘Over 2,000 pubs remained closed because they couldn’t viably operate with social distancing and table service only. Hopefully from July 19th, these pubs will be able to reopen. Covid, the lockdowns and restrictions have nearly destroyed our pubs. As they now get ready to reopen as normal once more, the recovery of our sector is only just beginning.

‘Having been one of the worst hit sectors by lockdown, our pubs and brewers now need the Government to invest in them by reforming VAT, beer duty and business rates to reduce the unfair tax burden they face and aid their recovery.’ 

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, said the body was ‘encouraged by much of what the Prime Minister said’ but admitted it was ‘disappointed’ that Mr Johnson said the final reopening of nightclubs would be decided on July 12.

He said: ‘To hear the Prime Minister say that we need to learn to live with this virus is a long overdue step, and will be a relief to our sector. It is difficult to overstate the significance of the impact the pandemic has had on this industry. The Government’s support package has been important but insufficient. 

‘After 479 days closed, we now need that counter set to zero so we can start to rebuild.’

Mr Kill added: ‘We have been encouraged by much of what the Prime Minister said today about what Government restrictions will look like in the next phase of reopening. 

‘The end of social distancing; the end of the rule of six and table service for indoor mixing; no ban on mass events; the removal of the need to scan a QR code to enter venues; and the decision not to introduce Covid status certification – these are all very important steps that we have been campaigning for, because they are the restrictions which have decimated the night time economy over the last sixteen months.’ 

But a Wetherspoon spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We will look into what the Government is proposing later this week, having discussed with pub teams during our calls on pubs in the interim. In broad terms, Wetherspoon, like the industry, welcomes with open arms, any signs of normality.’

And Alastair Kerr of the Campaign for Pubs told MailOnline: ‘It is clear that these unfair restrictions on the hospitality sector must come to an end. I hope that the PM keeps to his statement today and ends the unjust restrictions on the hospitality sector.’ 

Despite declaring an end to most lockdown measures from July 19, Mr Johnson told the Downing Street press conference this evening that the pandemic was ‘far from over’ with cases rising ‘fairly rapidly’ and warned ‘there could be 50,000 cases detected per day by the 19th’. 

He also said this is not the moment ‘demob happy’ as he warned that the battle against coronavirus is ‘very far’ from over, adding: ‘I don’t want people to feel this is, as it were, the moment to get demob happy, this is the end of Covid – it is very far from the end of dealing with this virus.’  

Later this week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will give an update on plans to remove the need for fully vaccinated arrivals from amber list countries to isolate, while Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will set out his plans for schools amid concern about the impact of the bubble system. 

Under the Prime Minister’s plan for Step 4 of the road map:

• There will be no limits on social contact, meaning the end of the orders such as the ‘rule of six’ and restrictions on guests at weddings and mourners at funerals;
• Legal requirement to wear face coverings will be lifted, although guidance will suggest people might choose to do so in ‘enclosed and crowded places’;
• All remaining businesses will be able to reopen, including nightclubs, while capacity caps will be lifted and bars and restaurants will no longer be restricted to table service;
• The Government will no longer instruct people to work from home;
• The ‘one metre plus’ rule on social distancing will be lifted except in specific circumstances such as at the border, where guidance will remain to keep passengers from red and amber list countries from mingling with other travellers;
• The limit on named care home visitors will be lifted but infection control measures will remain in place;
• There will be no compulsory use of Covid status certification – so-called domestic vaccine passports – although firms will be able to voluntarily use the system;
• The gap between vaccine doses for under-40s will be reduced from 12 weeks to eight, meaning that all adults will have the opportunity to be double-jabbed by mid-September.

Bosses are adamant they will be ditching all curbs as soon as possible, with Essex landlord Adam Brooks telling MailOnline: ‘I’ll be ditching everything. It’s what’s right. It’s what the businesses were designed as, hundreds of years of history. Standing at bars is a British tradition.’

He later posted on social media: ‘Hospitality and this country needs what’s going to be said tonight. This isn’t about ‘Drinking at a bar’ .. This is about life as you knew it returning [sic].’

He added in a second Tweet: ‘Isn’t freedom a lovely thing, the CHOICE to wear a mask or social distance if YOU want to, the choice not go to the busy pub or restaurant if YOU don’t want to [sic].’ 

At a Downing Street press conference this evening, Mr Johnson declared an end to most lockdown restrictions from July 19.

Social distancing rules, the work from home order, and mask mandates are expected to be ditched as the Prime Minister argued that we must learn to live with coronavirus as we do with the flu.

The Prime Minister confirmed a bonfire of virus rules and restrictions from the so-called Freedom Day later this month, in which he will say that individuals will again be able to judge the risks of coronavirus for themselves.

The announcement was welcomed with cautious optimism by Wetherspoons boss, Tim Martin.But the pub giant boss said he would be waiting to see what the government’s plans are when they are finally published. 

He told MailOnline: ‘We will look into what the government is proposing later this week, having discussed with pub teams during our calls on pubs in the interim. In broad terms, Wetherspoon, like the industry, welcomes with open arms, any signs of normality.’  

This was echoed by pub chain Youngs, who also said they would wait until the Prime Minister’s announcement before any decision would be made over restrictions in their pubs.

However, Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UK Hospitality, warned councils may still attempt to enforce some rules after the so-called Freedom Day has passed.

She told the Telegraph newspaper: ‘I think there might be a temptation of local authorities, that needs to be resisted, to put in place actual fixed regulations or rules that are more restrictive than they need to be.’

Under the new plans set out, hospitality venues in England will no longer be required to collect track and trace data from July 19. 

Businesses will not have to ask customers to scan a QR code using the NHS phone app on entry or to hand over their contact details – though they will have the option of continuing to do so if they wish. 

Mandatory table service rules will also be scrapped from July 19, meaning drinkers will be able to order at the bar again in pubs.

Gary Murphy, the manager at the Grade II listed Ye Old Mitre pub in High Barnet, London, was pleased at the news and described current rules on mask wearing in pubs as ‘lunacy’.

Mr Murphy told MailOnline: ‘You’re wearing one to stand up but you take it off to sit down, and staff have to wear one when they’re doing table service – none of those regulations make much sense anyway. I think the general public agree with me there.’

He called for a ‘return to normalcy’ adding: ‘It’s time to end the restrictions and it’s time to let business owners decide what precautions their customers want. That has got to be the way forward.’

Mr Murphy said the current restrictions have put huge pressure on his business to the extent that the pub is ‘barely breaking even’.  He puts this in part down to the enforcement of table service and the additional staff costs these measures incur. 

His pub, Ye Ole Mitre, dates as far back as 1636 and was built from timbers from old shipwrecks. He said: ‘Table service for a wet led drinking pub, which this is, is incredibly onerous. 

‘We need more staff to do sales, there’s a lot of running about, and the banter you usually get at the bar is missing. It all feels rather clinical. I would imagine most publicans will be looking forward to getting back to bar service, and a lot of customers will to.’

He also said how pub prices have not been upped to reflect the pressure of the restrictions, but if they were to continue, publicans would have to examine their price lists to ensure the future of their businesses.   

Mr Murphy said: ‘Because this has all been a ‘temporary-but-gone-on-forever’ sort of thing we haven’t adjusted our process to reflect table service.

‘But I think if table service was a permanent thing we would have to look at putting prices up by around 15 or 20 per cent because it is very onerous on staffing.Our losses have been massive, and we’re still losing money. We’re barely breaking even now.  

He added: ‘If we think Monday 19th is going to be an instant bounce back to what it was like pre-Covid we’re deluded.  There’s a lot of healing to be done for people whether they were scared or not scared. 

‘It’s going to take time but we must press ahead with the rights of business owners to operate as they see fit instead of the government micro managing us like this.’