To manage the risk of people potentially transmitting Coronavirus, establishments in the hospitality sector, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés, whether operating in indoor or outdoor venues or mobile settings, have been told by the Government that they should collect details and maintain records of staff, customers and visitors and hold them for 21 days.
However, just 53% of operators say they will be able to do so, according to the latest weekly Hospitality Leaders Poll by MCA Insight/HIM.
The majority of hospitality businesses (58%) polled say they are unhappy with the clarity of the government’s advice, with businesses citing conflicting information coming out of Whitehall.
One operator says that although the guidelines are “not ideal, the government’s guidance is somewhat flexible and helps provide a framework to reassure both staff and customers that our premises will be safe”.
The Government’s guidance that operators should use table service where possible will also prove a challenge for many in the hospitality sector, with half of respondents saying they are unable to offer any form of table service.
While bar service is not prohibited, table service should be considered as one of the ways in which a business can seek to ensure social-distancing and as a means of controlling its capacity, says UKHospitality.
The poll spoke to 343 respondents, all of whom are board level operators or founders.