Sector urged to adopt ‘robust’ Test and Trace procedures

In an open letter to members, UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) have urged operators to adopt a “robust procedure” for taking consumer contact details.

They say doing so will not only enable the NHS to identify and quickly limit the spread of any Covid-19 outbreaks, but is also essential in underpinning continued consumer confidence in hospitality as a sector.

“As always, the majority are playing their part, but with recent reports of hospitality venues not asking for these basic details on arrival, the reality for our industry is that these guidelines will be significantly strengthened and may soon become mandatory in England, as with Wales and Scotland,” they write.

“Not explicitly delivering these requirements, will increasingly lead to a real risk of significant business disruption.”

In order to continue building momentum, the trade bodies say members should be proactively engaging consumers in their venues’ new ways of working, describing it as a 'business critical issue'.

They add that the responsibility remains with businesses to limit table sizes and ensure they only take bookings for a maximum of two households; and understand the consequences of not adhering to the guidance.

“There are many methods that can be used to collate the simple data required for Test and Trace, and we have seen widespread support from consumers when it comes to providing those details,” says UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls.

“We must come together as a sector to show how committed we are to ensuring the continued safety of our customers and teams, at a time where we are seeing a huge surge in customer numbers with customers taking advantage of the 'Enjoy Summer Safely' campaign.”