Health & safety

Just 15 Covid positive in event pilots

24-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Just 0.03% of participants in the Government's series of large event pilots tested positive for coronavirus in the process, according to initial reports.

In association with Heineken

95% of pubgoers hope for ‘as much, if not more’ cleaning and sanitation focus post-pandemic

24-May-2021 By The Morning Advertiser

According to Heineken’s Pub of the Future report, the vast majority of pub customers hope that operators will redouble hygiene efforts even after the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Pub goers can play pool and darts

18-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Customers returning to the pub this week will be allowed to play indoor games such as pool and darts, as per Government Covid-19 guidance for businesses.

Green shoots: how can the on-trade be more environmentally friendly?

13-May-2021 By Stuart Stone

With COP26 on the horizon and sustainability on the nation’s lips, The Morning Advertiser measures up some of the steps being taken by the on-trade to cut its carbon footprint, and how it can help bounce back from Covid in a ‘green’ way.

Sector 'faced with mental health epidemic'

12-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

A sector-focused mental health text service has reported anxiety and stress are rife among chefs and other hospitality staff.

Pub chains will have to show calorie labels on menus

11-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Some pubs will be forced to display calorie counts for dishes on menus, it was revealed in the Queen’s Speech.

Operators furious after PM pictured inside a pub

11-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Pub bosses have said images of the Prime Minister posing for a picture maskless inside a pub has 'disregarded' the sector's struggles.

107 Covid 'outbreaks' linked to pubs since last summer

05-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Trade bosses have said a paper produced by Government scientists proves hospitality is a safe environment.

Mask rules could continue beyond 21 June

04-May-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Face covering requirements in pubs could last beyond 21 June, it has been suggested.

Opinion

More than half of food still being wasted at hospitality venues

30-Apr-2021 By Ben Gardner, CEO, Navitas Safety

Ben Gardner, CEO of Navitas Safety, a single destination for digital food safety, explains what the food and hospitality industries can do to reduce food waste and promote a circular food economy.

No answers after ‘empty’ vaccine passport statement

29-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The pub sector has been once more left without clarity after a minister updated MPs on the review into vaccine passports, one trade organisation has said.

Club pilots will challenge 'misconceptions' about sector

29-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Late night sector event pilots will help prove that large participation events can return safely, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has said.

'No one knows how to use the NHS app'

28-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Pubgoers have been hesitant to use the NHS contact-tracing app and been reluctant to hand over their details, operators have reported.

Operators advised over heater safety issues

28-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Pub operators have been advised that allowing customers to bring portable heaters to beer gardens creates a risk that is “very difficult” to manage.

'Not the time' for mandatory calorie labels on pints

14-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Reports of proposals to force large pub chains to display calorie labels on pints of beer have been dubbed “outrageous” and described as “costly and complicated” by the trade.

Staff do not have to ask to see app check-ins

13-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Pub staff do not have to ask customers to show their phone screens to prove they have checked into the venue via the NHS app, it has been confirmed.

Opinion

'Hospitality reopening is a chance to recalibrate our attitudes towards drinking'

09-Apr-2021 By Elaine Hindal, chief executive of Drinkaware

Among the dates within England’s roadmap out of lockdown, two are understandably getting a great deal of airtime – Monday 12 April and Monday 17 May.

Vaccination target on track, ministers urge

08-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Government ministers have said there is no indication the UK will not meet its vaccination target and for the roadmap out of lockdown to be stalled.

Hancock accused of 'stalling tactics' as reopening challenge fast-tracked

07-Apr-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The Government has been accused of “stalling” as a legal challenge over indoor hospitality’s reopening date will be fast-tracked through the High Court.

Immunity proof would damage 69% of night-time operators

06-Apr-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

More than two thirds (69%) of firms in the night-time sector have expressed concern that vaccine passports, requirements to provide proof of testing or immunity, would have a negative impact on their businesses, according to research.

Opinion

‘We need to shift the debate away from vaccine passports to supporting pubs reopening’

31-Mar-2021 By Mark Flanagan, CEO of Shield Safety Group and chairman of the UK Safe to Trade Scheme

Last week when appearing before the Commons Liaison Committee, Boris Johnson, announced that pub landlords may be given the power to prevent anyone without a Covid jab from entering their premises, via a vaccine passport scheme.

Opinion

Hospitality singled out as ‘villain’ in latest Test and Trace update

30-Mar-2021 By Gav Young, the Plough and Barleycorn, Isle of Wight

Despite the sense of dread that I now feel every time that there is a Covid rule change, I took the plunge and read the updated Test and Trace rules.

Pubs urged to register for free workplace testing

29-Mar-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

The Government is calling on businesses, including those in the hospitality sector, to order rapid testing in preparation for reopening.

Vaccine passport proposals imply pubs 'not to be trusted'

29-Mar-2021 By Emily Hawkins

When headlines declaring the Government was considering a policy that would see pubgoers asked to declare their ‘Covid status’ in the months to come, licensees recoiled.

Energy companies refusing to supply pubs ‘simply unacceptable’

25-Mar-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Utility businesses are refusing to provide energy to pubs with some refusing to renew contracts, according to one trade association.

Coronavirus: a year of closures

More than half of operators see sales slashed by more than 75% during pandemic year

22-Mar-2021 By Stuart Stone

A survey of pub operators by The Morning Advertiser (MA) has shed further light on the extent of pub closures and dented profits during the year since pubs first closed due to Covid-19.

Pub companies review late-night working practices following Sarah Everard's death

18-Mar-2021 By Stuart Stone

While the Government has outlined a controversial pilot scheme to send plain-clothed officers into pubs and clubs, recent events have compelled a number of hospitality firms to review late shift practices on the other side of the bar.

Demand for trade charity services trebled in 2020

17-Mar-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The number of people seeking support from the Licensed Trade Charity more than trebled during the past year as the pandemic took its toll on those working in the sector.

'Pubs deserve contact-detail data to be properly used'

16-Mar-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The hospitality sector should not be blamed for any failings in the Government’s contact-tracing scheme, a trade body boss has said.

Israel’s green passes and pubs: ‘smart move’ despite staff vaccine ‘absurdity’

16-Mar-2021 By Stuart Stone

After a recent YouGov survey found that more than half (56%) of Brits support vaccine passports for pub entry, The Morning Advertiser examined how well a similar system has worked in Israel.

Government threatened with court action over phased reopening

15-Mar-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Trade figures have warned they will take court action against the Government over the reopening date for indoor hospitality.

56% of consumers support vaccine passports for pub entry

10-Mar-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

More than half (56%) of adults are in favour of proof of immunity against coronavirus, a YouGov survey has found.

'Highly doubtful' lockdown will end earlier than roadmap dates

09-Mar-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The Government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty have been questioned by the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee.

In association with Food Alert

The rise of digital compliance: ‘virtual is here to stay’

08-Mar-2021 By The Morning Advertiser

A renewed appreciation of the power of technology is one of Covid-19’s enduring on-trade symptoms according to Food Alert’s operations director Mike Williams.

Opinion

‘No science’ to support mandatory table service

02-Mar-2021 By Gav Young, the Plough and Barleycorn, Isle of Wight

Now that we have sight of the long-awaited roadmap out of lockdown three, it is once again clear that the Government does not understand what a public house is or what it does.

'Hospitality workers should be given priority for a vaccine'

26-Feb-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Employees in the hospitality sector should be prioritised for a coronavirus vaccination as they cannot work from home, trade representatives have said.

Government to launch review into vaccine passports for entry into pubs

24-Feb-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

The Government is set to conduct a review into the possibility of using of vaccine passports for entry into pubs.

Why is hospitality safe to reopen?

18-Feb-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Rigorous cleaning regimes, adequate ventilation and the use of Test & Trace are just three examples of why the hospitality sector is safe to reopen, a report from trade body UKHospitality (UKH) has claimed.

'We can swiftly, safely and sustainably reopen pubs in April'

18-Feb-2021 By Emily Hawkins

UKHospitality has called on the Government to not delay the reopening of pubs and restaurants, issuing its own ‘roadmap to recovery’ ahead of the Government’s unlocking.

Study on pub virus transmission slammed as 'out-of-date witch hunt'

16-Feb-2021 By Emily Hawkins

University research claiming Scottish pubs were lax with coronavirus measures this summer has been rebuked by pub trade bodies, who claim the study’s sample size is not representative.

Text-based mental health support service launched

05-Feb-2021 By Emily Hawkins

A free mental health support service for those working in the hospitality sector has been launched.

Pub staff skills 'vital in fight against loneliness and isolation'

02-Feb-2021 By Emily Hawkins

A new survey has highlighted the devastating impact of pub closures on communities and isolated individuals.

'No correlation' between Eat Out to Help Out and infection numbers, says Treasury

29-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The Treasury has defended its Eat Out to Help Out scheme to critics who blamed the discount meals initiative for driving up infection rates.

Health experts' claims ‘hospitality not Covid hotbed’ comes as ‘no surprise’

28-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Claims from local public health directors that hospitality venues are not a big risk of coronavirus transmission should come as no surprise, one trade body has said.

'Everything's gone': pubs hit by flood devastation

22-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Heavy rainfall has caused further anxiety for publicans in parts of England and Wales this month, with one operator estimating £10,000 worth of damage to his site.

Pubs need to reopen when shops do, says Admiral Taverns boss

20-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

There is no reason for pubs to remain closed until May, the chief executive of Admiral Taverns has said.

Financial uncertainty has left operators feeling 'helpless'

12-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

After the pub sector experienced a year like no other, The Morning Advertiser (MA) spoke to operators about how they are protecting their mental health moving forward.

Opinion

How could pubs switch from dispensing beer to dispensing vaccines?

08-Jan-2021 By Mike Williams, operations director, Food Alert

As we embark on yet another national lockdown the one glimmer of hope lies in the knowledge that we now have vaccines to fight against Covid-19.

Pubs offer themselves up as vaccine hubs

04-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

A number of hospitality operators have put their venues forward as Covid vaccination hubs after it was revealed almost one in four people in England live somewhere with no vaccination centre.

Concern over New Year's Eve parties as rules for pubs unchanged

21-Dec-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Tough restrictions on pubs will see more people break coronavirus laws to attend illegal house parties on New Year's Eve, the sector has told the Government.