PUBS PLEAD FOR HELP – AS BORIS SET TO ORDER 10PM CLOSING TIME
With Prime Minister Boris Johnson set to announce new restrictions to combat coronavirus today, representatives of pubs and brewers have called for a ‘shutdown’ to be avoided...
REPRESENTATIVES of the brewing industry have called on the Government to help them further through conronavirus – as Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to rule out England’s pubs being closed this weekend as ministers prepare extra measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The Health Secretary said yesterday the Government had not yet taken the ‘final decisions’ on what response was necessary.
He was unable to say if pubs will be ordered to shut by the weekend, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to order a 10pm closure in England when he addresses the nation today amid mounting concern about a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which represents about 20,000 of the UK’S pubs, warned closing bars even temporarily would come at an ‘astronomical cost’ to the sector.
On ITV’S This Morning, Mr Hancock was asked whether landlords would be told to shut this weekend.
“We will be absolutely clear about the changes we need to make in the very, very near future,” he replied.
The Heath Secretary said his answer on pubs was ‘not a no, and it’s not a yes’, adding: “We have been working on this all weekend, we haven’t taken the final decisions about what we need to do in response to the surge that we have seen in the last few weeks.”
He said he spoke to Mr Johnson yesterday morning, adding: “He is as worried as we all are about the rise in the number of cases and we have to make a final decision about what’s the best response to that.”
In response to the comments, Emma Mcclarkin, chief executive of the BBPA, said although pubs and brewers have worked ‘tirelessly’ to reopen safely, the majority are still struggling to break even.
“Consumer confidence is very fragile and any extra restrictions inevitably have a further cooling effect on that,” she said.
“It is vital that the Government recognises the unprecedented challenges that pubs and brewers are facing at this time.
“Shutting down completely, even for a short period, would be a monumental task, severely impact hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and would come at an astronomical cost to the trade.”
Ms Mcclarkin called on the Government to ‘safeguard’ brewing and pub jobs by putting a sector-specific furlough scheme in place beyond October and extending the VAT cut and business rates holiday.