Social distancing rules ‘will ruin’ pubs, warns pub boss

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Social distancing rules ‘will ruin’ pubs, warns boss of Britain’s oldest brewer

  • Pubs may have to seat people two metres apart if distancing lasts all year
  • They may also have to install Perspex screens at the bar 

By Harriet Dennys For Financial Mail On Sunday

Published: | Updated:

Pubs will be robbed of their atmosphere and could struggle to survive if they reopen under strict social distancing rules, the boss of Britain’s oldest brewer has warned.

Jonathan Neame, chief executive of brewery and pub chain Shepherd Neame, said the Government might have to keep propping up the industry long after customers are allowed to return.

‘Nobody expects the same level of trade when businesses reopen with social distancing in place,’ he said. ‘It is difficult to recreate the pub experience with those measures. Pubs are about bringing people together.’

Pubs may have to seat people two metres apart and install Perspex screens at the bar

If social distancing is enforced for the rest of the year, as chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty suggested last week, it is thought pubs may have to seat people two metres apart and install Perspex screens at the bar.

Last week, Cabinet Minister Michael Gove refused to rule out keeping pubs shut until after Christmas. Neame warned that brewers and pubs could only cope with a 12-week lockdown and would need huge financial help if closures were extended.

Neame has furloughed 1,300 staff, cut directors’ pay and waived tenants’ rents for the lockdown.

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