Coronavirus

Oct- 2020 -

16 October

Hospitality sector to stage peaceful protest in Parliament Square

Members of the hospitality industry will converge on Parliament Square to urge the government to revise its policies relating to hospitality venues, both in terms of restrictions and industry-specific support, next Monday. At 10.30am on Monday 19 October, ‘HospoDemo’ protestors from all corners of the industry will come together to…

16 October

Fat Duck restaurant shutters for two weeks amid Covid-19 cases

The Fat Duck restaurant has announced a two week voluntary closure after several of its staff members tested positive for coronavirus. According to the Guardian, the restaurant in Bray, Berkshire contacted customers who had intended to dine there that the venue had closed with “immediate effect.” The Heston Blumenthal-owned restaurant…

15 October

Move to Tier 2 ‘catastrophic’ for London’s hospitality sector

Placing London in Tier 2 will have disastrous outcomes for the hospitality sector, unless more job support and grants are made available, UKHospitality claims. The trade body has warned that without Tier 3 support for firms currently in Tier 2 the industry will face widespread job losses in weeks. The…

15 October

Marston’s warns ‘2150 jobs at risk’ amid new restrictions

Marston’s pub group is preparing to lay off 2150 staff members as a result of the new three-tiered lockdown system. The company said that since the first lockdown was lifted 10,000 staff members have been able return to work, however because of new restrictions imposed this week 2150 pub-based roles…

15 October

London to move to Tier 2

London and Essex will face tougher Tier 2 Covid-19 restrictions from Saturday (17 October), including a ban on the mixing of households, local MPs have been told. According to the BBC, health secretary Matt Hancock is set to update MPs on the latest measures in the Commons later today. Under…

13 October

Number of licensed establishments fallen by 25,000

Nearly 25,000 fewer licensed premises are currently operating when compared with pre-lockdown numbers. A total of 90,000 establishments had returned to trading by the end of September, according to the Market Recovery Monitor report conducted by CGA and Alix Partners. This means that roughly one in five sites remains closed…

12 October

PM unveils three-tiered lockdown system

Prime minister Boris Johnson this afternoon announced a new three-tier lockdown system that will see some hospitality businesses in the North-West forced to close from Wednesday. Under the new system, different rules for regions will be classified as being on ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ alert depending on the rate…

12 October

Almost 50% of hospitality staff remain on furlough, study finds

Approximately 43% of the hospitality workforce remains on the government’s furlough scheme, according to new research from hospitality software provider Fourth. The latest joint study indicates that many hospitality workers’ jobs “hang in the balance”, and that nationwide footfall is falling again, despite the momentum generated by August’s Eat Out…

12 October

G-A-Y owner begins formal legal challenge against 10pm curfew

Jeremy Joseph, CEO of G-A-Y, has instructed barristers from Kings Chambers and Simpson Miller to challenge the government’s latest round of Covid-19 restrictions which are affecting the hospitality industry. The pre-action protocol has been served to specifically challenge the government’s decision to implement a 10pm curfew on hospitality premises, which…

9 October

Gov to cover 67% of wages for firms forced to shut

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that businesses forced to shut due to local restrictions will be eligible for a grant that pays two-thirds of staff salaries. The government will pay two-thirds, or 67%, of each employee’s salary, up to a maximum of £2,100 a month, if the business is forced…