System ‘wreaking havoc’ as hospitality staff isolate

BAR and restaurant owners in Bristol are calling on the Government to change test and trace rules, which are making business “impossible” for them.

Venues across the city are having to close as staff are forced to self-isolate after being alerted by the NHS test and trace app, having come into contact with someone with coronavirus.

Under the current rules, workers who have come within two metres of a person with the virus must stay at home for 10 days, even if they are vaccinated and have tested negative.

Southville neighbourhood restaurant Sonny Stores was forced to close for a week after one of its staff tested positive on Wednesday, June 30.

Even though the whole team had tested negative by July 2, the restaurant could not open until the 10-day period was up on Monday, costing the independent business around £15,000 in missed takings and wasted produce.

Restaurant co-owner Mary Glynn said: “By Friday morning all 12 members of staff had negative tests, but we had to wait until Monday to reopen.

“To me it would have made sense for us to reopen once we’d all tested negative, which would have allowed us to trade over the weekend and redeem some lost revenue.

“Pretty much all of our prep went to waste.

“We now have a set of bills from our suppliers to pay in addition to overheads after a week of no revenue.”

Currently, there is no support or compensation in place for businesses that have to close due to staff isolating.

“All the sentiment around wanting small businesses to thrive is lip service because there’s no financial support for when we have to close,” added Mary. “It’s incredibly demoralising losing a chunk of money as great as that through having to close, as it’s all the progress you’ve made in the last two months since reopening gone in a flash. The emotional and psychological impact is also quite significant.”

In response to growing concerns that rocketing cases will lead to millions of people self-isolating over the next month, ministers have decided to tweak the NHS Covid app to make it less sensitive.

New rules will exempt doublejabbed people in England from having to isolate if a close contact has tested positive, allowing them to take tests instead – but this doesn’t come into effect until August 16.

Trade body UKHospitality is calling for a “test and remain” system in which vaccinated staff who have not tested positive for Covid can carry on working if they have come into contact with a person carrying the virus.

“The current guidelines are wreaking havoc among hospitality businesses and in essence enacting a further lockdown on large parts of the sector,” said Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality.

“Testing needs to play a crucial role in how we learn to live with the virus and releasing people from isolation.”

This is a view shared by Tessa Lidstone, who runs top Bristol restaurant Box-E with her husband Elliott.

She said: “I would urge for there to be a more sensible use of the NHS app, specifically if staff receive a notification to isolate from a suspected contact outside of work and test negative. I think there needs to be a review on whether they still need to isolate.”

Seven Lucky Gods in Wapping Wharf was forced to close again last week after a member of staff tested positive, almost exactly a year after its first Covid-enforced closure, missing out on a busy weekend of trade, despite the fact the rest of the team have tested negative.

Nathan Lee of the Hyde & Co hospitality group, which owns Seven Lucky Gods, said: “It’s virtually impossible to do business at the moment with staff isolating adding to existing shortages.

“The rules seem to be open to interpretation. I know of places that have just carried on and told staff not to isolate, which is morally wrong in my opinion.

“I can see why they ignore the notifications because you don’t get any support if you’re forced to close.”

Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industry Association, which represents thousands of pubs, clubs and bars across the UK, warned the recovery of the sector could be set back if things don’t change.

“If we continue down this road we will be besieged by individual business lockdowns, hindering the recovery of the sector as we start to ease restrictions,” he said.

❝ It’s virtually impossible to do business at the moment with staff isolating adding to existing shortages

Nathan Lee (left), Hyde & Co