Need for staff to self-isolate ‘is a serious threat to small businesses’

THE NEED for increasing numbers of staff to self-isolate is “a serious threat” to small businesses, according to the owner of an independent chain of coffee shops.

Craig Bunting is the co-founder of BEAR, a chain of five coffee shops across Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire – two of which were closed yesterday after staff members were told to isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app.

He described the pandemic as “the most challenging thing since starting our business” and said the need to close stores once again has left them in a “dangerous situation”.

“With staff shortages, with people in isolation, we’re battling to be able to trade,” Mr Bunting, 36, said. “We have to really, really look at our numbers and work out how we’re going to survive this.

“We’ve worked so hard to get through it using the things that are available to us, pivoting our business where we could... everyone’s pulled together and worked really hard and it feels like we were starting to come out it.

“Today’s Freedom Day, and it just doesn’t feel very free, that’s for sure.”

With numbers rising sharply in England as restrictions are lifted, the country has seen what has been described as a “pingdemic”, with hundreds of thousands of people told to stay at home after being deemed to have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid.

It means many small businesses are having to close completely, while even larger companies are affected,

PureGym said up to 25 per cent of staff are isolating in some areas.