Leisure sector relieved to reopen but curbs on capacity still weigh

BOWLING alley and soft play centre owners breathed a sigh of relief after being told they could reopen from today – but warned that business would remain tough as long as the country was following social distancing rules.

Leisure and hospitality bosses welcomed a surprise announcement from Boris Johnson that allows bowling alleys, casinos, beauty salons, skating rinks and soft play centres to welcome back customers this weekend.

The easing of restrictions will also allow wedding receptions of up to 30 people to take place, as well as live indoor performances at theatres and music venues.

The leisure industries were dealt a blow after Mr Johnson went back on plans to ease lockdown restrictions in July, just 24 hours before they were due to reopen.

Stephen Burns, chief executive of Hollywood Bowl Group, said: “It’s a great relief to finally have clarity on when we can reopen after such unexpected and long delays. We’ve been ready to reopen in the fully government-approved, Covid-secure way for many weeks and our trained teams are eager to get back to work.”

Barry Coombs, who runs Baloo’s Softplay in Trowbridge, Wiltshire with his wife Lucy, said he was elated by the announcement. However, the late notice means he will be unable to reopen today. He said: “As with the rest of the industry, we thought we may have been given two weeks’ notice.

“Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to get things turned around that quickly; we need to get the staff back off furlough, get some retraining and do some risk assessments.”

Mr Coombs added that continued social distancing restrictions meant the site would only be able to operate at 40pc of its normal capacity.

Soft play centres will be required to limit capacity to 100 sq ft per person, according to government guidance, while ball pits will remain shut.

Some leisure and hospitality businesses, such as nightclubs, still remain shut by state decree. Bosses are frustrated by a lack of clarity. Peter Marks, chief executive of nightclub operator Deltic Group, said: “We need a pathway [to reopening] and we need financial support desperately.”

Beauty salons, which were allowed to reopen for some services last month, will be able to resume close-contact treatments such as eyebrow waxing and facials from today.

Many businesses reported a surge in bookings as a result, with some running up waiting lists that will last until September.