Yahoo Finance Pubs need two metre rule watered down to survive
Primrose Hill was buzzing on Sunday. In the surrounding streets, pub landlords were serving pints from the windows of their empty boozers.
The sun was out - and so were the public. In this upmarket part of north London, you could be forgiven for thinking lockdown was all but over.
But for pubs, this peddling their wares from a hatch on the side of the premises was little more than a token - not to mention loss-making - effort. Their woes are far from over.
Boris Johnson’s adherence to two-metre social distancing, even if the nation’s watering holes open in July as expected, will leave more than two-thirds of landlords little choice but to keep their doors shut, according to industry leaders.
“No two pubs are the same,” says Emma McClarkin, boss of the British Beer and Pub Association. “For many, ensuring a distance of two metres will be impossible.”
The first comprehensive review of social distancing, prepared for the World Health Organisation and published in The Lancet on Monday, concluded that a one-metre gap left people with a 3pc chance of catching Covid-19. This risk halved at two metres.
The association estimates that three-quarters could reopen if social distancing was relaxed to one metre. And McClarkin, a former Tory MEP, suggests this is a risk worth taking.
“Actioning advice from the WHO for example to use one metre for social distancing from July would enable many more pubs to viably re-open and serve their communities again,” she says.
Major pub companies are more circumspect. “No-one wants to put their head above the parapet,” says one industry insider. “There is a growing consensus among MPs that social distancing could be relaxed to 1.5 metres or 1 metre. But there is huge nervousness [within Government] that until they get the guidance from Sage, they won’t budge.”
Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark, the former business secretary who now chairs the Commons science committee, supports the call for change.
“The difference between 2 metres and 1.5 metres may seem small but it can be the difference between people being able to go to work and losing their jobs,” he says.
The official WHO guidance is that people should remain one metre apart - recommendations that are implemented in a number of countries such as France. Germany and Australia, meanwhile, have opted for a 1.5 metre limit.
Within the broader hospitality industry there are concerns of being out of kilter with public opinion in the UK which is supportive of the status quo. Companies fear being painted as the villains if social distancing is eased and there is a second spike in the pandemic.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, says: “If the science recommends it is safe to do so, we would urge the Government to adopt the internationally recognised standard of one metre. Such a reduction would be a huge boost for the hospitality sector and prove critical to the survival of the vast majority of businesses, helping to safeguard over 800,000 jobs. It’s the difference between a venue opening at around 70pc of normal revenues, or at 30pc with the current two metre rule in place, which is simply unviable.
“It is vital that reopening is done in the right way and with the right support so that our industry can help rebuild shattered consumer confidence, play our part in the recovery and bring the nation back together safely over the coming months.”
Before the global crisis, running a pub or restaurant, staying afloat could be counted as a success. The pandemic will leave a catastrophic mark on the industry, even if social distancing rules are relaxed.
Many operators fear for their future even if social distancing rules were dramatically reduced. Demand is likely to remain depressed until a vaccine is finally found.
The beer and pub association says the hospitality sector faces unique challenges as a result of coronavirus. A relaxation of social distancing needs to be coupled with additional financial support, such as an exemption from plans for businesses to contribute towards furlough costs from August.
McClarkin adds: “All pubs have to be open and operating viably by July for this scheme to work. Pubs have been closed since March with no income coming in. Expecting them to contribute to furlough costs if they are closed or operationally unviable is simply not feasible.
“Preventing pubs from reopening as the furlough support reduces means that those pubs will have no income to cover the additional staff costs – risking job losses and pubs staying closed for good.”
