LAST ORDERS
PUBS, BARS AND RESTAURANTS TOLD TO STOP SERVING BOOZE VENUES TO SHUT BY 6PM AS WELSH COVID RATES KEEP CLIMBING BUSINESS OWNERS WARN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IS ‘ON ITS KNEES’
TOUGH new restrictions on alcohol sales and pub opening times in Wales in the lead-up to Christmas will devastate the country’s hospitality industry, groups representing businesses and consumers have warned.
It comes after First Minister Mark Drakeford announced that pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will be forced to stop selling alcohol and to shut by 6pm in a new round of coronavirus restrictions that begin on Friday night.
Yesterday, the Welsh Labour leader said the new rules were a “matter of deep regret”, but that people meeting in hospitality settings was helping drive a resurgence of cases just three weeks after the country’s firebreak lockdown ended.
Mr Drakeford told the Welsh Government’s press briefing he acknowledged that the new restrictions would be “difficult” as they come at one of the busiest times of the year.
He added: “But it is a simple fact that we continue to face a virus that is moving incredibly quickly across Wales and a virus that will exploit every opportunity when we spend time with one another.”
But organisations including the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) criticised the decision for threatening the futures of businesses.
Ian Price, CBI Wales director, said: “The First Minister’s announcement is devastating for a Welsh hospitality sector that’s already reeling from a damaging cycle of restrictions.
“Pubs, restaurants and shops that should be buzzing at this time of year now face a hugely uncertain future, with closures and job losses all but guaranteed.
“For those firms that have struggled on, the loss of the allimportant festive trading period could very well be the last straw.”
Nik Antona, national chairman of consumer group Camra, said: “Restrictions that force hundreds of pubs to close and devastate trade for those able to remain open to serve meals could be the final straw for Welsh pubs and the breweries that supply them.
“There is simply no evidence that a draconian alcohol ban will stop the spread of Covid-19. What is clear is that our pub culture is being used as a convenient scapegoat for the spread of the pandemic.”
James Calder, chief executive of SIBA, said: “The decision to ban the sale of alcohol in hospitality from Friday will be the final blow for small breweries and pubs in Wales who rely on the Christmas trading period for a substantial percentage of their annual income.
“There is no evidence to justify these new targeted restrictions.”
Mr Drakeford told the press briefing there was evidence that people meeting in hospitality settings were not having “glancing contact” with others, such as in a supermarket, but sitting together for a period of time.
This, he said, had contributed to a rise in Wales’ seven-day incidence rate from 187 cases per 100,000 people on Friday to almost 210 cases per 100,000 yesterday.
Mr Drakeford said there had been a rise in new Covid-19 cases particularly among under-25s in 17 of the country’s 22 local authorities.
Scientific and medical advisers believe that unless further restrictions were put in place, the number of people in hospital in Wales with Covid-19 could rise to 2,200 people by January 12.
Modelling suggested another 1,600 people could also lose their lives over the winter period.
Mr Drakeford defended his decision to limit the firebreak to 17 days, saying it had “delivered everything we hoped of it”, but suggested the country may have benefitted with a gradual easing of lockdown restrictions.
He added: “The hospitality and visitor sectors have worked hard to comply with the many regulations to make their businesses compliant and to protect customers from the threat of coronavirus.
“I am very grateful for everything the sector has done. I know these new restrictions will be difficult as they come at the one of the busiest times of the year for the sector.”
For businesses affected by the new regulations, the Welsh Government will “provide the most generous package of financial assistance anywhere in the UK”, Mr Drakeford said.
It will include a
£160m Restrictions Business Fund to enable an estimated 60,000 hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses to access grants of up to £5,000.
A total of £180m will also be available from the Economic Resilience Fund grant scheme to allow eligible small and medium-sized businesses to receive up to £100,000, and up to £150,000 for larger Welsh-based businesses.
Under the new rules, hospitality businesses will only be allowed to offer a takeaway service after 6pm, but a complete ban on alcohol sales will not extend to supermarkets or off-licences which must already stop selling alcoholic drinks after 10pm.
The new regulations that come into force from 6pm on December 4 will also see cinemas, bowling alleys and other indoor entertainment venues and attractions, such as museums, galleries and heritage sites, forced to shut their doors.
Other national measures, such as household bubbles, will remain the same after Friday, as well as how many people can meet in public indoors or outdoors.
The restrictions will be formally reviewed by December 17 and then every three weeks.
The First Minister also explained that, with England’s lockdown ending tomorrow, the Welsh Government is “looking at travel restrictions in and out of Wales and will make a further announcement later this week”.
Turning to the hope offered by the proposed roll-out of a coronavirus vaccine, Mr Drakeford said: “The weeks ahead will be difficult and demanding for all of us. As we look further
ahead, there are signs of how life will get better.
“Last week the NHS in Wales carried out a large and successful test of all the practical things that will need to be in place once a vaccine is given the goahead.
“Now that go-ahead could be as early as this week and once it comes we will be ready for it.
“Last week we saw the first mass testing programme start in Merthyr Tydfil. More than 10,000 people have been tested in the first eight days.
“The strong sense of community responsibility has been very evident in that terrific response. I thank everyone who has come forward and encourage more to do so over the next seven days.
“This week we will begin using the rapid-result lateral flow tests in some care homes to help reunite families who have been separated for many months.
“And today we publish new advice about visiting in hospitals offering hope that, in the right circumstances, both parents can be more involved in their baby’s antenatal care.
“So even as we face real challenges in the here and now there are possibilities that if we continue to pull together and make the difference we need to see today then as far as coronavirus is concerned 2021 could be a better year for us all.
“I ask again today for your help to make that a reality in our lives. Together we will keep Wales safe.”
Meanwhile, opposition parties criticised the decision to impose tougher restrictions on hospitality businesses.
The Welsh Conservatives described the new rules as “disproportionate”, while Plaid Cymru said they were “deeply regretful” and the result of a lack of tighter restrictions in the aftermath of the firebreak lockdown.
Paul Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, said: “This blanket approach across all of Wales is disproportionate and will unfairly affect parts of the country where infection rates are significantly lower than others, and will harm the sector to such an extent that large parts of it may not recover.
“This is after they have invested hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of pounds on making their premises as safe as possible.
“With the best will in the world, and especially in the run-up to Christmas, if pubs and cafes cannot sell alcohol with meals, it could encourage people to drink at home and in groups.
“All the evidence so far has shown that these sorts of interactions are generally more likely to be a cause of transmission.”
Helen Mary Jones, Plaid Cymru shadow economy minister, said: “This is going to be incredibly challenging for the hospitality sector and it is deeply regretful that we’ve found ourselves in this position.
“Plaid Cymru called for stricter measures as we came out of the firebreak – including a more gradual easing of restrictions and optimising Wales’ own testing capacity to reach the 24-hour turnaround timescale target.
“The Labour Welsh Government failed to do that and now hospitality is paying the price.”