THE 2-METRE MELTDOWN

MPs warn 3 out of 4 pubs, restaurants, hotels and travel businesses could go bust unless rule is axed

THREE QUARTERS of pubs, restaurants and hotels could go bust unless the Government’s two-metre rule is scrapped, MPs were warned last night.

In a bleak assessment, a cross-party group of MPs said the majority of businesses in the catering and tourism sector would find it ‘impossible to operate financially’ if staff and customers were required to remain two metres apart.

The group urged ministers to work urgently to get the distance reduced – warning that many venues would simply be unable to reopen next month even if lockdown is eased.

The devastating report came as Boris Johnson faced an overwhelming clamour from scientists, politicians and business leaders to lift or relax the social-distancing rule.

Many told the Mail yesterday that the controversial coronavirus rule threatened to cripple much of the economy.

Meanwhile, GDP figures for April – due to be published today – are expected to be ‘very bad’, sources said, with some economists predicting an 18 per cent lockdown plunge.

The figures will only intensify pressure for the two-metre rule to be relaxed.

Whitehall sources said last night the Prime Minister had told allies scrapping the rule was a matter of ‘when, not if’, with the

majority of the Cabinet believed to be opposed. However, pressure is mounting for swift action to unlock Britain’s economy, help ensure more children can return to school and give businesses the best chance of survival. The row came as:

■An annex to the Government’s coronavirus ‘road map to recovery’ plan revealed that the two-metre rule is actually supposed to be regarded ‘as a precaution’, rather than hard and fast guidance;

■Lord Baker demanded the two-metre rule was slashed to just one in schools to help pupils return to lessons;

■A leading expert said children’s lives had been put on hold to protect adults;

■Figures showed sales of British beer have collapsed to their lowest on record;

■It emerged tens of thousands of patients are being missed by the Government’s flagship test and trace scheme, and;

■The head of UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has told the Daily Mail that Britain is on track to become the first country in the world to provide an effective vaccination against coronavirus.

Last night’s MPs’ report, by the allparty group for hospitality and tourism, said three quarters of firms in the sector could lose up to 80 per cent of their capacity under the two-metre rule.

It said: ‘It will make the operational reopening of many venues challenging. Business confidence studies submitted to the all-party group suggested up to 75 per cent of businesses surveyed were not confident that they could survive with this level of social distancing enforced.’ It added that the two-metre rule exceeded World Health Organisation guidance of one metre. It concluded: ‘For travel and tourism businesses, it is difficult to imagine two-metre social distancing being feasible in most circumstances.’

Mr Johnson will come under renewed pressure today when the Office for National Statistics publishes data expected to show a further fall in the number of Covid infections, the measure he has set as the key test for relaxing the rule. Economists are also predicting an 18 per cent fall in output.

Whitehall sources said Mr Johnson had told allies that scrapping the rule was a matter of ‘when, not if’. One said: ‘He wants to do it when he’s confident it is safe to do so. I would be surprised if there is a single member of the Cabinet who wants to keep the rule as it is, but the science says we just can’t move yet.’

Tory MPs and business last night warned Mr Johnson had to act swiftly. Ex-business secretary Greg Clark said the two- metre rule was ‘a big obstacle to going back to work, not just in hospitality, but also in schools and manufacturing’.

The Beer and Pub Association warned only a third of pubs would be able to reopen under the rule. The Greene King group said: ‘Many pubs will not be economically viable with social distancing.’

Scientists also called for the rule to be relaxed, with public health specialist Professor Linda Bauld saying studies showed a 1.5-metre rule ‘still provides a good level of protection’. Rail bosses yesterday became the latest to urge ministers to cut the limit. The Mail has learned operators have warned the Department for Transport that failure to relax the rules will lead to chaos when passengers return.

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