Consumers across Britain have been advised to avoid restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs by the Prime Minister as of the 16 March 2020.
Yesterday, at the time of writing, yet another devastating blow was dealt to the hospitality industry as the Prime Minister advised the public to avoid socialising over drinks and dinner in public places, citing pubs, clubs and restaurants as all being out of bounds. This announcement has been called into question by several high-profile chefs who have noted that asking people to avoid restaurants without officially shutting them down will not allow businesses to claim any compensation through their insurers.
In the statement released yesterday The PM Boris Johnson advised to “avoid confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants” and stop “non-essential contact”.
"It is important that Londoners now pay special attention about avoiding non-essential contact and to take particularly seriously the advice about working from home and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants" the PM continued.
Mass gatherings will also no longer be supported by the emergency services in a bid to encourage the cancellation of large-scale events like weddings and conferences.
This advice will of course further increase the strain on the hospitality industry at all levels and across all sizes of businesses. If you’d like to give your local a helping hand, or stick in solidarity by your favourite dining destination, we have put together a guide on how you can support restaurants at this time. From simple things like engaging with them on social media, through to signing up to their newsletters and ordering your takeaway directly from their restaurant, every small step helps.
At present the Government advice is for anyone with a high temperature or a persistent cough, or anyone in the same household with them, should stay at home for 14 days. If you live alone and show these symptoms, then you should self-isolate for 7 days.
Looking for some light relief? You might like to know about the new First Dates show that has just been announced.