Hospitality doesn’t need to be in short supply
THE question on the message board was a familiar one but no less challenging for all that. Basically, how do you manage to run a hospitality business in the face of a pandemic – especially when the situation keeps shifting and the rules change yet again?
First off, it’s fairly pointless to have a go at those charged with making the big decisions.
This Omicron variant sounds like a big deal so we can all agree that it makes sense to roll out precautionary measures.
Also, I acknowledge that governments are between a rock and a hard place.
After accusations that they failed to take prompt enough action the first time around, it’s understandable that nations are imposing safeguards in rapid succession.
The result, however, is a bit shambolic. We went from all-clear to redlist within 24 hours, leaving travellers and airlines in a turmoil.
With regional rugby clubs either stuck in South Africa or Belfast, things have a Corporal Jones feel about them.
Was I the only one surprised to learn that there are no quarantine hotels in Wales?
The press are making up their own stories about the potential impact of the new Covid variant. No surprise there but surely news folk should accept that reports of “public panic” could be linked to their own earlier references to a “super-villain mutation”.
So far I’ve seen mixed reactions to the idea of throwing more booster jabs at the populace.
Maybe that’s because the proposal comes from a guy who draws inspiration from Peppa Pig World.
Already you can see how people have reached their tolerance limit.
There’s noticeable public pushback and businesses are caught in the middle.
It’s hard to generate seasonal goodwill when supply and demand are so unbalanced. Add a level of anger into that equation and things soon get
Governments have to be as quick in supporting affected businesses as they have been in introducing new restrictions
ugly. It’s no wonder that supermarket chains have opted against asking staff to enforce facemask regulations. It’s the hospitality sector that could be hardest hit. Many have been optimistically gearing up for the prospect of a big Christmas. Thanks to the new uncertainty, restaurateurs and hoteliers are now reporting cancellations as worried punters rethink the idea of family gatherings.
The owner of a Gower venue told me that he had to dump thousands of pounds of stock when Christmas was cancelled last year. Any additional constraints this time around could close him down for good.
That said, I detect little empathy among Swansea establishments for the individual who opted to challenge the whole Covid pass thing.
One club operator wrote in response on social media: “The way I look at it is that the regs protect me as much as the customers. If there’s an infection that can be traced back to my place then I get shut down.”
I’m not sure that the last part is correct. My experience is that local authorities are more likely to work with establishments to sort out problems than impose sanctions.
We’ve learned in the past two years that things can change rapidly. We don’t need to be cancelling anything right now and risk putting hospitality into short supply.
Equally, whatever the outcome, the bottom line is that governments have to be as quick in supporting affected businesses as they have been in introducing new restrictions.