The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Mix of fear and optimism about future
● Sturgeon urges Scots to ‘follow rules’ as pubs and restaurants start to reopen
Today marks one of the most significant steps out of lockdown with pubs and restaurants across the north-east welcoming people inside for the first time in months.
Residents have endured nearly four months without being able to go into their local for a pint or a bite to eat.
Their long wait is now over as the majority of businesses reopen today.
Among them are the College Bar, on Alford Place, and The Queen Vic on Rosemount Place in Aberdeen.
Both pubs will be keeping staff and customers safe with temperature checks, visitor registration and distancing measures. Staff have been retrained and risk assessments carried out.
Director of PB Devco – which owns the pubs – Paul Clarkson said: “It’s been extremely hard, I’ve been trying not to think about how much earnings we have lost. We’ve a large workforce and it’s tough for them too.
“So I am delighted to open the doors again, and I am actually pretty hopeful about the near future.
“We opened the outdoor area at Soul Bar – which we also own – on Friday and the demand far exceeded our expectations. People want to get out and enjoy themselves again.”
McGinty’s Meal An’ Ale on Union Street is another city business reopening today.
Alan Aitken, operations director at The McGinty’s Group, which runs the gastropub, said the hospitality trade had endured one of its biggest challenges in navigating lockdown.
He said: “We have worked tirelessly to ensure our venues are safe and compliant with government guidance, and all staff members have completed training on Covid-19 safety.”
In Aberdeenshire, The Drouthy Laird pub and restaurant in Inverurie is also getting back to business today.
Landlord Laird Parker said: “Lockdown has been horrendous, revenue is absolutely shot this year.
“I think it’ll be tough for the rest of the year to be honest, because a lot of people in Inverurie appear to be a bit nervous about a second wave.
“Capacity will be down. But I am so excited to be opening the doors again.
“We’re a flexible trade and we’ve got good staff, so I’m remaining upbeat.”
It has taken a lot of work for Mr Parker to get to this point, with a number of safety measures put in place to ensure a smooth reopening.
“We want customers to feel at ease when we open our doors,” he said.
“We will be doing table service throughout the day and night, and there will be hand sanitiser throughout the premises.
“In the restaurant, we will only set the table when guests arrive, so they can see everything has been disinfected. When the next guests arrive, the whole table – including chairs – is disinfected and set again.
“Waiting staff will wear visors, and bar staff will wear face masks.”
In nearby Oldmeldrum, the Meldrum House Hotel houses a bar and restaurant, and has long served as a popular wedding venue.
General manager Jordan Charles expressed the same mixture of fear and optimism about the near future.
“There’s a huge domestic appetite out there and I just hope that is enough to keep us going.
“Weddings are going to be a struggle this year, and Christmas has a big question mark over it.”
Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon announced there had been no coronavirus deaths reported in Scotland for a sixth day in a row.
The first minister warned the reopening of pubs and restaurants present the “highest risk” and told people not to go if they do not want to provide contact details.
“Our most immediate risk is not a second wave of Covid, it is a resurgence of the first wave,” Ms Sturgeon said.
“The changes that come into force are the highest risk changes so far because many of them involve indoor activity and we know the risk of the virus spreading indoors, in a pub for example, is significantly higher than outdoors.”
“We want our customers to feel at ease”