Sorry Soul Bar vows to do better

BY JON HEBDITCH AN ABERDEEN bar has issued an apology and vowed to learn lessons after pictures of huge queues gathered outside sparked a national backlash.

Soul Bar released a statement saying bosses had taken “time to reflect” after an internal investigation.

It added that the venue will not be “rushing to reopen” even if the First Minister lifts the local lockdown.

Photos emerged on August 3 showing tightly packed punters lining up to get into the city centre haunt.

The pictures came days after 13 cases of Covid-19 were linked to the city’s Hawthorn bar less than a mile away.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the scenes made her “want to cry”.

The city was placed into a localised lockdown with all bars, restaurants and cafes shut down again and restrictions placed on travelling or visiting people.

A coronavirus cluster in the city has been identified, with more than 200 cases.

A statement from Soul Bar today said it was “not rushing to reopen”.

It reads: “Over the last couple of weeks we have taken time to reflect.

“We have conducted an internal investigation to review some of our Covid-19 operating procedures.

“This has highlighted some important lessons for us to learn. The biggest lessons of all are drawn from the procedures that led to a breakdown in social distancing during our busiest times.

“We acknowledge we underestimated how much of a challenge this would be and for that we are truly sorry.”

Councillor Martin Greig said: “The change of attitude is welcome and positive.”