LONDON (AP) – Asking people in English pubs to keep their distance will be difficult after having a few of their favorite drinks.
Bar managers should be resourceful on Saturday when they and other parts of the hotel industry in England open their doors to customers for the first time since March 20, provided they meet COVID’s security requirements.
The British government has been accused of being reckless in allowing pubs to reopenGiven the coronavirus infection and death rates remain high and amid evidence that the reopening of bars in countries like the US has caused new outbreaks. The UK has recorded nearly 44,000 virus-related deaths, the third behind the United States and Brazil.
Still, many pubs hungry for cash will make the leap, though they will be very different. than they were when they closed due to the need to ensure everyone is safe, from registering customers upon entry to making sure tables are far enough apart to comply with social distancing rules.
“I am nervous,” said Are Kolltveit, who heads the Chandos Arms. in north London with his wife Emily. They have changed the fortunes of the pub in recent years bringing it into the community, offering activities like live music, plus a pint of finely poured beer. He was chosen Best Local at the British Pub Awards 2019.
“It won’t be the same, but we will do everything we can to make it as good as ever,” he said.
The pandemic is an existential threat to most of England’s 37,500 pubs. The Chandos, and many others, have benefited from government measures, in particular a wage support plan that prevented mass layoffs. According to the Beer and Pub Association, about 90% of the pub staff was suspended under the scheme.
The reopening, allowed from 6 am, offers hope to publicans like Kolltveit, but the margins are tight.
Kolltveit wants to think that people will abide by the rules, given that the pandemic is still ongoing, and says that his pub can survive for about five months without further help, provided it runs at 50% of full capacity and there is no second. spike in infections or a new blockage in companies.
“The best pubs are extensions of the owner’s personality and the pub atmosphere will be hugely challenged, but I think the best publicans will find ways to reinvent it in some way,” said Pete Brown, an award-winning beer writer. .
He said those who responded to the needs of their community during the shutdown by showing an “entrepreneurial spirit” will prosper, or at least survive.
“I’ve seen pubs reinvent themselves during lockdown doing things like picking up recipes or making take-out deliveries.”
When they reopen, pubs will need to guarantee table service, a move that halts the cherished tradition of English alcohol: crowding and chatting around the bar. Guests will be limited to groups of six and, when possible, will sit next to each other to reduce any risk of contagion that may arise from shouting too loudly.
They will be spaced at least one meter (3.3 feet) apart and will be encouraged to take other steps to stay safe, such as using hand sanitizers. The use of masks, even by staff, is optional.
Pub staff will also need to record customer names at the door, and keep them for 21 days, to assist in any effort to track down virus infections.
Tim Sheehan, Co-Owner, Franklins, a pub and restaurant in south-east London, is upset by the effective enrollment of the hotel industry in the effort to track down contagions and wonders how he should verify someone’s health or identity.
How many Mr. and Mrs. Presley are we going to get? And how do you go about asking people personal questions? “, Said. “I’m dreading it in that regard.”
He is also concerned that it is “like New Years Eve” in some pubs, particularly those that cater to younger people, and that patterns of social distancing “may go out the window after people have had some shadows.”
“We are moving to the stage where the advice is to essentially use common sense,” said Jon Cross, a 40-year-old accountant in North London.
“Most people will trust their local to make the right decisions,” added Cross, who said he would frequently frequent his local pub, The Wrestlers, if it is not busy.
The guidelines are the same regardless of the size and layout of the pub. But the challenges are likely to be very different for a great place like JD Wetherspoon’s The Moon Under Water. in Manchester and in a quaint country pub like The George at Burpham, hidden between a church and a cricket ground in southern England.
Pubs like The George are inherent in the rhythm of their rural surroundings. It starts with an outdoor barbecue on Saturday, followed by a traditional indoor and outdoor Sunday roast service.
“Since the Duke of Norfolk opened the Arundel train station on his land in August 1863, Sussex residents have been looking forward to a summer event more than the reopening of The George,” said Robert Essex, a marketing service. 59 years old. executive and one of the locals who bought the pub in 2013.
Not everyone is reopening. Tollington’s Arms, a pub near the Arsenal football stadium in north London, believes the government ignores scientific advice from experts and has expressed concern about “contributing to a second wave of this pandemic.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that people “are much less likely to be around” someone with the virus than at the height of the pandemic.
“Let’s not screw it up now,” he said.
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