‘People want to support us, but we just can’t operate’

Further reading:​

• Tier drop: what impact could the new Covid-19 alert system have on pubs?​ - The day after another 696 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded across the UK – the highest daily total since start of May – the Government has cooked up a new three-tiered trifle to force feed the embattled on-trade.

• ‘No hard evidence on curfew’ admits Gov adviser Vallance​ - The decision to implement a curfew on pubs, restaurants and the rest of the hospitality sector was a “policy decision” that had “no hard evidence” behind it preventing the spread of coronavirus, the Government’s chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance has admitted.

• Pub sales plummet 84% on first post-lockdown weekend​ - A British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) survey suggests that more than half of operators expect to close pubs that re-opened after England’s second national lockdown if trade doesn’t improve in the coming weeks.

• Estimated 2,500 pubs lost in 2020​ - More than 2,000 pubs have been lost this year, over double the number in previous years, it has been estimated.

• Operators mentally drained, joyless and heartbroken after a week of new tiers​ - The Morning Advertiser’s social media followers shared their experiences of trading under various levels of the Government’s more stringent Covid alert system since 2 December.

• Officials accused of ‘intimidation’ over enforcement of pub rules​ - Police have been accused of “overzealous” enforcement of tier two restrictions in pubs, with landlords reporting officers arguing over ’substantial meal’ regulations and throwing out customers after they finished eating.

• 650k hospitality jobs lost in 2020​ - This year has seen an estimated 650,000 job losses in the hospitality sector, a new study has revealed.

• How and where can pubs serve alcohol under the Government's winter tiers?​ - The old proverb that "necessity is the mother of invention" has been ringing in pub operators’ ears throughout the Covid-19 pandemic even if their tills haven’t quite been ringing at the same frequency.