Pubs fear cost of staying shut all the way to May
SPECULATION is rife that pubs may be the last sector to re-open once lockdown eases.
According to The Telegraph and The Mirror, the three stages of coming out of the national restrictions will see schools re-opening first, then nonessential shops, followed by pubs.
If the suspected ‘road map’ goes ahead as planned, then pubs could be open again as late as May 3, which is the May Day Bank Holiday.
Devon landlords have expressed their concern at being closed for that long, albeit with the hope that it would mean no further lockdowns.
Yvan, at the Oddfellows in New North Road, Exeter, said: “The idea has been bounced around for a while, and it’s a very difficult position to be in.
“If we get financial support from the Government on March 3, then I think we’ll all be OK, but some of the grants and lockdown funds isn’t enough to covers the pubs’ and bars’ rent.
“If the support is there, we can stay closed until they need us to reopen, but at the moment I think that it’s costing around 95% of pubs to be closed. We’re still paying rent and there’s the general upkeep of a building.”
Government scientific experts have said that the May opening date would be the safer option, if Covid-19 infection rates have gone down, while the premature opening of the hospitality sector would lead to a ‘bump’ in Covid-19 cases.
Yvan continued: “If the Government supports us on a greater scale, we can all stay closed until they ask us to reopen, but we’re all losing money every month. We’re not trying to bash people or the Government, we just need some answers, that’s all.”
Sharing a similar view, Paula, from the Stowey Arms in Exminster, said: “As much as I would like to be fully open and trading at the moment, I know that’s not possible.
“I expected this would be the earliest we would possibly be able to reopen. I would rather stay closed longer if this means we do not go back into open, shut, open, shut scenarios, like last year.”
A spokesperson for the Manor pub in Brixham said: “It [the prospect of not reopening until May] is very disheartening, to be honest. We’ve traded for less than seven months in the past year. While I completely understand why lockdowns are necessary, I’m very nervous for the future of the hospitality industry. Hopefully we can all have a prosperous and safe summer season of trade, without the worry of being closed down again.”
While I completely understand why lockdowns are necessary, I’m very nervous for the future of the hospitality industry