Contract tracing rules for hospitality sector

Pubs and restaurants in Monklands will become legally required to collect contact tracing details from Friday, and face masks are now mandatory in more venues including places of worship, libraries and museums.

Hospitality businesses already have guidance asking them to collect customers’details for Test and Protect purposes, but it will soon become law“for a range of settings”.

As well as the necessity for premises to collect and keep contact details, the requirements also include tables being booked in advance where possible, and customers being seated at the venues with table service.

Nicola Sturgeon said at a daily briefing: “Customers should not be standing together to watch football, dancing, or queuing at the bar.

“There should be no background music or volume from the TV; we don’t want people having to shout or lean in to each other to be heard.”

“There should be no queueing outside either.

“If it is unavoidable for any reason, those who are in queues should be physically distanced.”

She added:“Our hospitality businesses obviously have a vital role to play in making premises safe, but we are all the first line of defence against this virus, so please think about your own actions.

“No more than three households should be meeting together in places like bars and restaurants at any one time, and people from different households should be staying physically distant from each other at all times.”

Updated instructions for the sector are being issued this week, and Ms Sturgeon said:“The aim is to ensure greater compliance with some of the key public health measures such as physical distancing.

“We will work closely with Police Scotland and local environmental health teams to explain these measures and if necessary, enforce compliance.”

Face coverings are also now mandatory in an extended range of indoor spaces“as a precautionary measure”.

Anyone wearing a visor will now also need an additional face covering, as Ms Sturgeon said:“Based on the latest scientific evidence, we are not convinced that a visor on its own provides sufficient protection to the wearer or to others.”

The First Minister said:“As we come further out of lockdown, the risks are heightened .

“More people are out and about, more places have reopened and more people are gathering together. These changes will help to reduce some of the risks that people face.”