British pub landlords are dragging their heels!

UK pub landlords are complaining the system that’s being brought in is unworkable, but the Spanish using similar rules have been doing just fine… so far.

Pubs in the UK are set to open with a whisper rather than a bang with no raised voices, no loud music and a cap on numbers – and even stricter restrictions than expected. 

Groups of friends are not going to be allowed to sit together unless they are all from two households. If your friends are from more than two households, you can visit the pub, but only sit on the terrace or outdoors, and then only in groups of no more than six people.

They are among a range of safeguards that also include a requirement that pubs, restaurants, cafes and even takeaways to collect the names and contact details of customers.

Now there is a problem says UK Hospitality and the British Beer and Pubs Association, theoretically staff will have to take customers details before serving them, then hold on to that information for 21 days, in case the NHS track trace and isolate needs the information to be handed over to the government, as part of the scheme.

Apart from anything else there is very little time to set such a system up (11 days until the rules come into play), and setting up a system like this to actually be workable will take much longer to do.

Social distancing, restricted numbers of clients, sanitisation of tables etc, staff protective equipment, running a table only service, no dancing, no live music, no standing at the bar, even turning the TV down to a quieter volume, these are all rules that UK landlords are going to have to follow, and they are not happy.

However pubs have been made exempt from the rule that says no gatherings of more than 30 people are allowed, but police will retain the power to enter pubs to break up ‘large and irresponsible’ gatherings even after lockdown measures are eased if that’s needed

A government spokesman said: “People talk about the cafe culture on the Continent and we want to recreate something like that here this summer – you could call it al fresco Britain.”

Here in Spain we have gone through similar rules and regulations since lockdown began to ease, with the obvious difference of the track and trace system, (not sure how the Spanish would react to having to show ID and have it recorded just to get a Caña!)

But a word to the UK landlords. It is tough yes, of that there is no doubt, but we have went through it here in Spain, just as bad, (and in some cases much worse), than the rules in the UK, over a few weeks the rules have been eased, this will happen in the UK as well, unless there are problems from the landlords, or clients refusing to follow the rules.

Advice is go with the flow, follow the rules, and in what will seem like no time at all you’ll be going to the local to see your favourite covers band with your mates, and be up dancing.

Probably in a mask though.       MTC