Last orders for time being as two more pubs are hit by Covid
TWO county pubs have closed down temporarily after positive cases of Covid-19.
The Freemasons Arms, in Market Harborough, and The Old Inn, in Littlethorpe, have shut as precautions.
The Freemasons Arms, in St Mary’s Road, announced at the weekend it had made the decision to shut after one of its staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
A statement posted on the pub’s Facebook page said: “Unfortunately we have just been told that our kitchen porter has tested positive for coronavirus, as a result of which we have taken the decision to close temporarily.
“Thankfully he is not unwell, and no other members of the team are known to be displaying symptoms.
“The member of staff’s contact with other members of the team had been very limited, and any risk of infection will have been mitigated by our extensive hygiene measures, which include the wearing of masks, daily deep cleans and fogging.
“Nevertheless we have taken the decision to close as a precaution. We will reopen when we are confident our team are all fit and well and the pub has been thoroughly deep cleaned and sanitised.
“We know this news will cause concern to those of you who have recently visited The Freemasons, though it is worth pointing out that the team member who has tested positive works in the cleaning area and did not have direct contact with customers.
“We have been collecting details of customer visits for NHS Track & Trace but we have been advised not to contact customers ourselves.
“If they decide it is necessary, NHS Track & Trace will make direct contact. If you don’t hear anything from them there is no reason for concern and you don’t have to do anything.
“We will come back to you soon as to when we will reopen, we thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.”
The Freemasons Arms reopened at the start of July, following the easing of the national lockdown.
The Old Inn, in Littlethorpe also published a statement on its Facebook page.
It said: “To all our customers, following a confirmed case of Covid-19 in The Old Inn and a suspected case in our team, we have decided to temporarily close the pub.
“We have taken the decision to ensure we are protecting all our staff and customers and complying with government guidance.
“During this period of closure the
pub will be deep-cleaned.
“Thank you for all your understanding and support during this time and we are looking forward to welcoming you all back very soon. Take care and stay safe.”
The village pub, in The Square, reopened on July 24.
Although outside of the Leicester lockdown area, The Old Inn took the decision not to open earlier in the month as it felt it had a responsibility to the village community in ensuring it did not encourage customers from the lockdown areas to travel to the pub.
The Freemasons Arms and The Old Inn are the third and fourth hospitality venues to have closed due to a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the past couple of weeks.
Leicester restaurant The Case closed at the end of September, and Sutton Cheney pub Hercules Revived followed suit last week.
Both are planning to reopen this week.