Pub bosses have revealed they are preparing to keep their doors closed on upcoming ‘Super Saturday’ despite watering-holes being allowed to open for the first time in more than three months.
Landlords of some pubs are bars have raised fears they cannot operate safely this weekend, as punters prepare to flood in for their first pulled pint since draconian lockdown measures were introduced in March.
It also comes as leading doctors, police and campaigners urged revellers to drink responsibly to protect emergency departments, over fears that already under-pressure medical staff may become ‘overwhelmed’ by injured drinkers.
Some even fear that emergency departments could be packed with intoxicated revellers on a scale normally scene on New Year’s Eve when pubs finally reopen on July 4.
While major players such JD Wetherspoon plan to reopen hundreds of its pubs across the country, with a raft of safety measures, some publicans on Tyneside have decided not to open up this weekend, saying they are not yet ready to operate safely.
New rules will change the face of pubs around the country, with screens separating tables, bar staff delivering drink orders to customers and orders being made via apps.
Major players such JD Wetherspoon plan to reopen hundreds of its pubs across the country, with a raft of safety measures
Bar staff will be delivering drinks to tables, as seen above at a Greene King in Cambridge, when pubs reopen on Super Saturday
In Sunderland bars including Ttonic, Chaplins, The Point, Glitter Ball and Arizona will remain shut, after their management team wrote: ‘We are concerned that the mass gatherings and intensity expected on Saturday isn’t worth putting our team under unnecessary risk and stress.
‘Our safety, your safety and to protect the emergency services from unnecessary duress we think is paramount and the responsible thing to do in our much loved City.
‘We will not be opening until further notice and remain closed this weekend.
‘Please understand our decision for now, we must protect our staff and the people in our City.
‘Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause for your weekend plans we hope everyone stays alert, safe and practices social distancing as outlined by the Government.’
Ian High, operations and finance director of Pub Culture, which runs venues in the North East including the Dun Cow in Sunderland, told the Sunderland Echo: ‘The health and safety of our staff and customers is our top priority.
‘We are working through the guidelines provided for the hospitality industry and want to make sure that when we open, we are providing the safest possible environment.’
Today experts warned medical staff were ‘bracing themselves’ for an influx of patients when pubs throw open their doors this Saturday.
Despite hundreds of pubs across the country opening, some publicans on Tyneside have decided not to open up this weekend, saying they are not yet ready to operate safely. Pictured: Chaplins in Sunderland will remain shut
Ian High, operations and finance director of Pub Culture, which runs venues in the North East including the Dun Cow in Sunderland (pictured) said safety was the ‘top priority’
In Sunderland bars including The Point (pictured left), Glitter Ball (pictured right) and Arizona will remain shut, after their management team wrote of their concerns about ‘mass gatherings’
Today experts warned medical staff were ‘bracing themselves’ for an influx of patients when pubs throw open their doors this Saturday. Pictured: Ttonic in Sunderland will remain closed
Dr Katherine Henderson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We’re bracing ourselves, I think would be a fair way to say it.
‘It actually is quite serious, we have emergency departments having to work in a very different way than they did before because we have to keep vulnerable patients safe so we can’t have crowded emergency departments.
‘What we can’t do is have a department that gets overwhelmed by people who are injured because they have got themselves into a fight, they have fallen off something, they have drunk so much that they actually need the health service’s help.
‘People have been standing at doorways clapping the NHS, well more important than clapping the NHS is using the resources responsibly and anybody who goes out and gets so drunk that they need an ambulance and they need to come to an emergency department is not supporting the NHS.’
Echoing Dr Henderson’s comments, Dr James Crosbie, NHS clinical lead for alcohol in the North East of England, said: ‘The NHS is not in the same place as it was prior to lockdown. Covid-19 precautions mean capacity in the system is reduced at a time when we need to be prepared to both deal with any new cases of the virus and also plan to reduce the backlog of routine cases that have built up.
‘We need a serious debate about the role alcohol plays in society because the NHS can’t afford to go back to the bad old days when weekends in A&E were dominated by alcohol cases and when one in five hospital beds were taken up by patients who drink at risky levels.’
Some pubs are choosing to remain shut, fearing they would be unable to meet social distancing requirements.
Revellers outside O’Neills bar in Clapham, South West London, on March 20, the last Saturday before
Commissioner Cressida Dick said Met Police has been planning for July 4 ‘for some time’ and that the public will see ‘a lot’ of officers on London streets
The organisation Balance North East campaigns to get people to drink less and advocates a minimum price per unit.
Director Colin Shevills said: ‘It is coming to something when we prioritise opening our pubs before we open schools.
‘All too often it is seen as ‘normal’ for our police, our paramedics and our casualty wards to have to pick up the pieces from intoxication and from alcohol-related violence.
‘This is a situation we just cannot allow to continue.’
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, has claimed the government should reopened pubs on a weekday.
Mr Jamieson said: ‘I am in favour of the gradual lifting of the lockdown, based on the science, but not in the way the Government have proceeded.
‘It would have been sensible for the Government to schedule the first day of pub openings for midweek or the Monday afterwards, rather than a Saturday.
‘That would have allowed venues to take a more sensible approach. That is not just my view but is shared by many police and crime commissioners across the country who raised this issue with the Policing Minister recently.’
Police forces have been preparing for the biggest easing of lockdown measures since they began at the end of March.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said her force has been planning for July 4 ‘for some time’ and that the public will see ‘a lot’ of officers on London streets.
She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday: ‘There will be a lot more ready should people be out of order, should people get violent. But I’m not predicting that at this stage.
‘My message is, if you’re coming out on Saturday, be calm, be sensible.
‘Look after yourself, look after your family. We are still in a global pandemic which is affecting this country very obviously.’
Greater Manchester Police has planned a ‘significant’ operation for cities and towns within the constabulary, while Leeds City Council announced it will provide night marshals to support police and ‘keep things running smoothly,’ the BBC reports.
Meanwhile campaigners have joined a chorus of voices calling for calm ahead of the weekend.
The organisation Balance North East campaigns to get people to drink less and advocates a minimum price per unit.
Director Colin Shevills said: ‘It is coming to something when we prioritise opening our pubs before we open schools.
‘All too often it is seen as ‘normal’ for our police, our paramedics and our casualty wards to have to pick up the pieces from intoxication and from alcohol-related violence.
‘This is a situation we just cannot allow to continue.’
Campaigner Maxine Thompson-Curl set up a charity after her son Kristian, 19, was killed in a one-punch attack on a night out.
She said: ‘We are concerned about the reopening of pubs at the weekend.
‘We are concerned about the effects of alcohol and the consequences of drinking too much, as always, but also we are deeply anxious about the effects on our already struggling NHS, which every one of us have helped for three months by keeping ourselves safe.
‘My question is why spoil that? We’d urge people to be sensible, think smart and keep safe.’
Yesterday, Tim Clarke, from the Metropolitan Police Federation, that represents officers up to the rank of chief inspector, said he feared this weekend ‘could be anything but a ‘Super Saturday’ for police officers’.
He went on: ‘The challenges they face this weekend with pubs and restaurants reopening and many people predicted to travel across the country to see family and friends will make this weekend perhaps as busy as policing New Year’s Eve.
‘People will be coming out in droves and if we have nice weather again this weekend it will be a significant challenge with the further relaxation of Covid-19 guidance.
‘This could have been mitigated by waiting until Monday to further relax the Government guidelines to us all – but as always, policing and police officers will do the best we can in the challenging circumstances.’
Beer we go! Wetherspoons unveils sneeze screens and social-distanced seating as staff do a deep-clean before chain reopens 750 pubs on July 4
By Harry Howard for MailOnline
If there is one thing which many thousands of Britons have missed during lockdown, it is the joy of a pint at our local pub.
But Wetherspoons fans will soon be able to enjoy the delights of a cheap tipple once again when 750 of the pub chain’s outlets re-open on July 4.
However, to prevent the spread of coronavirus the chain has installed sneeze screens and socially-distanced seating and deployed staff to rigorously clean tables.
Staff were pictured at the Mossy Well pub in Muswell Hill, North London, on Wednesday as they prepared the venue for its first customers in more than three months.
The till area has been encased with perspex screens, hand sanitising stations have been installed and partitions have been put up between seating areas.
One female staff member was seen wiping down tables as well as the bar area.
Wetherspoons fans will soon be able to enjoy the delights of a cheap tipple once again when 750 of the pub chain’s outlets re-open on July 4. Staff were pictured at the Mossy Well pub in Muswell Hill, North London, on Wednesday as they prepared the venue for its first customers in more than three months
The till area has been encased with perspex screens, hand sanitising stations have been installed and partitions have been put up between seating areas
The preparations come after the Prime Minister gave the go-ahead last week for pubs and bars to re-open on ‘Super Saturday’ as long as they take steps to protect staff and customers from the bug.
Boris Johnson said establishments will also have to keep a record of drinkers so they can be contacted if someone with the virus was in the venue.
Wetherspoons’ chairman Tim Martin welcomed the move and said 750 would open across England, while ones in the rest of the UK remain closed.
Mr Martin said: ‘We are extremely pleased that pubs are reopening on July 4 after a long hiatus.
‘We are going to discuss the precise Government proposals with our pub managers and staff before we comment further on the details.’
Wetherspoons customers will use one entrance with a separate exit door where possible when they reopen.
Entry and exit will be marked out by floor stickers and/or barriers and door security will monitor the numbers entering and leaving to prevent overcrowding.
Screens have also been put up between seating areas to enforce social distancing
One female staff member was seen wiping down tables as well as the bar area
Wetherspoons have also provided disposable menus for returning customers
All of its pubs will have screens at the tills and there will also be screens to create seating areas where it is not possible to separate the tables by two metres.
Wetherspoon staff will get gloves, masks and protective eyewear, but it is not mandatory for them to wear them unless the Government says so.
Employees will also have their temperatures taken on arrival for their shifts.
Workers will hand over all drinks holding the base of the glass and when ordered by the app they will be delivered to the table on a tray.
Each pub will have at least ten or more hand sanitiser stations and customers should use them on arrival and multiple times during their visit.
One member of staff will be dedicated to sanitising surfaces.
Wetherspoons customers will use one entrance with a separate exit door where possible when they reopen
Entry and exit will be marked out by floor stickers and/or barriers and door security will monitor the numbers entering and leaving to prevent overcrowding
Large perspex screens have been put up to protect staff as they serve customers
The drinks menu will remain the same but food will be pared back and items should be ordered via the official JD Wetherspoon app if possible.
Tills will be open and can take cash. The pubs will provide sachets – ketchup, mayonnaise, salt pepper etc – rather than in their usual condiment bottles.
But some customers have said they will boycott the company due to the way Mr Martin treated his staff during the lockdown.
The businessman had told his 43,000 workers they could get a job at a supermarket and they would not be paid until the Government’s furlough scheme kicked in.
But the outspoken Brexiteer, 65, U-turned after pressure from a huge public backlash.
Staff have embarked on a mammoth cleaning regime ahead of the return of customers on July 4
Seating areas are also being separated by protective screens
A number of social media users – who tweeted #NeverSpoons – planned to avoid the cheap watering hole.
One man wrote on Twitter: ‘Boycotting Weatherspoons isn’t about Brexit/Remain its about having respect for your fellow person.
‘Tim Martin wanted to bin off his workforce, suggesting they should get jobs at Tesco.
‘Public pressure force him to furlough them. #NeverSpoons support a locally owned bar instead.’
A woman posted: ‘It can open up whenever it likes, I’m never going to a Wetherspoons again. #NeverSpoons.’
Another wrote: ‘With some pubs opening soon I would implore everyone to be very safe & BOYCOTT WETHERSPOONS!
‘No one needs to go to a pub badly enough to spend there money in Tipsy Tim’s nasty establishments!’
One put: ‘Wouldn’t it be hilarious if, on 4th July all the (former) staff say: ”F*ck off, Tim Martin, we’re all at Tesco now and we prefer it”.’
And another added: ‘Support local bars and pubs when they eventually open. Support living wage employers.
It is hoped that the coronavirus infection rate will stay under control after pubs and bars reopen
Britons have had to go without visiting pubs and bars for more than three months
‘I know the cheap booze is tempting, but have a hard think about where your money is going. #wetherspoons #neverspoons.’
But some social media users pointed out it would be the workforce that would be hardest hit by any boycott.
One woman wrote: ‘You realise by boycotting spoons you’re putting those same people out of work.
‘What Tim did was not on, however he did not sack us. After the backlash we have all been paid our wages. If you want to boycott that’s fine but you’re not doing anyone any favours.’
Another added: ‘Boycotting Wetherspoons will do nowhere near as much good as going into your local and (safely) passing the staff union leaflets.
‘If you want to improve Spoons, help empower the workers. Martin can withstand a boycott, he can’t withstand the only boycotts that work: strikes.’
Pub owners have warned customers to only turn up if they have pre-booked a table as bosses prepare to reopen after being shut for more than three months.
Revellers will be asked to register before having a drink at their local under plans to limit the spread of Covid-19 as England’s hospitality industry reopens.
They were closed as part of efforts to control the spread of coronavirus. Pictured: A staff member at the Mossy Well cleans the screens between tables
The Prime Minister told the Commons that customers will be allowed back into pubs as they reopen for the first time since closing on March 20 just before lockdown.
Some pubs already have all their tables reserved on the opening day – dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ – with staff taken off furlough to help cope with bookings.
And politicians are expected to go on a PR blitz around the country to encourage people to return to pubs which will reopen with social distancing measures in place.
It has been suggested some Ministers might go to the pub for a PR stunt, with a Government official saying: ‘There’s a job to be done to encourage people to go out.’
Meanwhile car parks and hotel grounds could be converted into temporary beer gardens to help with social distancing by encouraging drinkers outside.
New laws due to be introduced to Parliament this Thursday will allow pubs to turn their ‘spaces inside out’ this summer, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One source said: ‘At the moment, you (pubs) have to specify in the plan for your licence where you are selling and serving alcohol. Beer gardens tend to be licensed already but car parks aren’t.
‘You could have little courtyards that would be normally used for storage, car parks or land that you don’t normally license. A lot of hotels will have huge gardens but won’t have an outdoor licence.’
Mr Johnson told the Commons yesterday restaurants and pubs will be allowed to reopen from July 4.
He said: ‘I can tell the House that we will also reopen restaurants and pubs. All hospitality indoors will be limited to table service and our guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact.
Some customers have said they will boycott the company due to the way Mr Martin treated his staff during the lockdown
‘We will ask businesses to help NHS Test and Trace respond to any local outbreaks by collecting contact details from customers as happens in other countries and we will work with the sector to make this manageable.’
The Prime Minister also said the two-metre rule will be reduced to ‘one metre-plus’ from July 4.
He told the Commons: ‘Given the significant fall in the prevalence of the virus we can change the two-metre social distancing rule from July 4.’
He continued: ‘Where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should. But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of one metre-plus, meaning they should remain one metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission.’
Mr Johnson added: ‘I know this rule effectively makes life impossible for large parts of our economy even without other restrictions, for example it prevents all but a fraction of our hospitality industry from operating.’
Pub and hospitality bosses cheered the Government’s proposals to allow customers through their doors again on July 4 as ‘a welcome relief’.
But on Sunday, it emerged that thousands of pubs may never reopen despite the lifting of restrictions.
One in ten landlords said that social distancing measures – even reduced to a metre – would mean a cut in capacity and profits.
This could lead to permanent closures, with small pubs set to be hardest hit.
According to the British Institute of Innkeeping, affected pubs do not have enough room to keep their customers apart.
Any pub that does reopen will also face the extra cost of ensuring social distancing is followed, which could mean hiring more staff.
They would also they have to make sure adequate PPE is available for all workers.
To try and stop some pubs from having to close their doors forever, the boss of the British Institute of Innkeeping has called on the government to give them extra furlough money, cash grants and VAT tax breaks.
He told The Sun on Sunday: ‘For the majority, opening with a limited capacity means they will be trading at a loss.’
Some have warned that developers may now swoop in, converting pubs into other businesses or flats.
Greg Mulholland, chairman of the British Pub Confederation, said: ‘The usual vultures are circling, seeking to profit from turning them into other things, against the wishes of local communities.’