England braces for Welsh revellers escaping Covid restrictions
Thousands of New Year’s Eve revellers are expected to escape strict Covid-19 restrictions in Wales by hopping across the border to visit nightspots in English towns and cities.
Leaders of the nightlife industry in Wales are angry that they will lose trade to their counterparts in England because Welsh nightclubs have been ordered to shut and pubs told to put in social distancing measures.
But the Welsh government said on Tuesday that its restrictions were proportionate, with the latest sevenday coronavirus rate per 100,000 people rising to 1,004 – the highest since the pandemic began. About 6,000 new infections are being confirmed daily, the majority caused by the Omicron variant.
Nick Newman, the chair of the Cardiff Licensees Forum, said he expected many people to leave Wales for England. “It’s 40 minutes from Newport to Bristol and it’s easy to get from north Wales into Manchester or Liverpool. English businesses are going to benefit.
“We’re hugely disappointed with the stance the Welsh government is taking, especially not presenting the evidence that links the virus to the hospitality industry.”
Mark Finlay, the operations manager for a number of pubs and bars in Wrexham, which is close to the border, said people were bound to pop over to places like Chester for a night out with few restrictions.
“It’s frustrating that a few minutes down the road you can celebrate a normal New Year’s Eve but we’re not allowed that opportunity here. For us it will be an average night serving people at tables. There won’t be the normal party atmosphere. I’m fully expecting everyone to go to Chester.”
Debbie Evans, who runs the Kerry Lamb pub in Kerry, mid Wales, said in 2019 it had 70 people dining at New Year’s Eve and up to 100 in the bar. This year staff are gearing up to serve only about 50 in total.
“But to be honest we’re not getting the bookings,” she said. “People are either worried about coming out or if not they will be taking the short hop over the border for a restriction-free evening in England. It feels to me it would be safer for them to stay in their own community rather than mixing with strangers.”
Edmund Inkin, a founding member of the Welsh Independent Restaurant Collective, said: “The feeling that economic value is being taken away and going across the border at a very difficult time is not good for morale.”
The Welsh government is making £120m of emergency support available but Inkin said the few thousand pounds most would get was a “drop in the ocean”. He said owners and workers were demoralised because there was no end in sight for the restrictions – while hospitality in England has been told it can carry on over new year largely as normal.
Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said he was concerned that some Welsh partygoers would be tempted to attend packed house parties or illegal raves in Wales. “People will push the boundaries and would be safer in regulated settings with safeguards in place.”
The leader of the Conservatives in the Welsh parliament, Andrew RT Davies, said it was unacceptable that the Welsh government had not published the scientific advice and evidence behind the restrictions.
He said: “Many Welsh businesses will be severely hit this Christmas and new year, and I can understand their anger and frustration given they’re not being afforded the advice that’s provided to ministers.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “The Omicron variant is causing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases across Wales. Already, people are off work sick, putting essential services under strain and we expect this situation to get worse.
“New protections have been put into place to help businesses continue to trade, and updated and strengthened guidance has been issued to help people stay safe in their homes. We all need to do everything we can to protect ourselves and keep Wales safe.”