We will have to take their word for it
CITY HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES SAY NEW ‘NO MIXING’ RULE IS ALL ABOUT TRUST
PUB, bar and restaurant owners across Nottinghamshire say they are relieved they can stay open as part of the new local lockdown restrictions - but say it will be difficult to enforce the rule on customers not mixing indoors.
As well as the 10pm curfew, people from different households are now banned from meeting up inside venues across the county.
The measure comes into effect today after the county was placed in the “high alert” Tier Two category to curb rising Covid-19 infection rates.
Although people must not socialise with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, groups of six can still sit outside.
Nigel Garlick, who runs three bars in Nottingham city centre, said they would have to rely on drinkers to do the right thing.
“It’s a very tricky one, you won’t be able to tell if people are from the same household or not,” he said. “You will have to take their word. Not everyone has proof of their home address, especially renters, or people in shared accommodation.
“We won’t be grilling everyone but we will make it clear that people from different households must sit outside. We have a fairly large outdoor space at Junkyard and the Kilpin and can accommodate several groups of six.
“We are getting some more heaters and being creative in our booking system so
small mixed groups can gather safely in a controlled environment,” said Mr Garlick, who also runs Boilermaker.
“I can’t imagine there will be hordes of people going out looking to cheat the system. The new scheme is simply another way to deter people from meeting up, regardless of what systems you have in place to manage the virus.
“There has been no evidence shown to us that pubs are places where the virus is being spread yet we are an easy target. We will always obey the laws even if we don’t fully agree with them, and we will do everything we can to play our part in getting us to Tier One.”
Chris Bulaitis said one of his pubs, The Castle, in the city centre, will be closing on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“Financially, to close down would be easier than this halfcocked gradual reduction,” he said.
Meeting a friend for coffee indoors is outlawed unless you’re in a support bubble and Rob Darby, co-founder of Nottingham coffee shops 200 Degrees, said: “It will be almost impossible to police as we simply cannot challenge someone that they are not in a household or bubble if they say they are.”
“We will have to largely rely on the public following the rules.
“It’s a relief we can stay open. However, we expect significant impact from the ruling so it’s still a difficult announcement for hospitality.”
Alex Bond, chef patron of Michelin-starred restaurant Alchemilla in Nottingham, said: “It’s good that I won’t have to close my restaurant, we’ve put a lot of effort and investment into making sure we provide a safe space where people can enjoy good food and wine responsibly.
“It remains to be seen what impact the restrictions on household mixing indoors will have. We’ll be monitoring the effect closely in the coming weeks and adapting quickly to how we operate.”
Nygel Stevenson, owner of Madhatters Tearoom in Kimberley, said: “I’m getting my head around it now. Fortunately we have many regulars that we know are from the same household.
“We have the track and trace in place, but that doesn’t identify households. We are going to have to trust people that we don’t know who come in. Trade is down over 70% already, so this is not going to help, but we will do our best to keep going.”