HALF of pubs did not enforce basic Covid safeguards last summer

A ‘substantial minority’ of pubs may fail to prevent coronavirus from spreading when they are finally allowed to reopen, scientists have suggested. 

A Scottish Government-funded study that investigated licensed premises last summer found less than half had basic Covid safeguards in place.

Of the 29 pubs and bars they visited, 11 did not stop their punters singing, shouting or mingling with other households — all of which drive up the risk of transmitting the virus.

The study, led by the University of Stirling, found a dozen ran a table-only service or had protocols in place to ensure toilets were socially distanced. 

And staff in ‘several’ premises — the researchers did not say how many — were found to not be wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) or keeping distance from other employees.  

Industry leaders today blasted the study as a ‘kick in the teeth’ and ‘hitting publicans while they’re down’, as many premises worry whether they’ll be able to reopen. 

Independent scientists also criticised the study’s small sample size of 29 pubs — the equivalent of 0.1 per cent of pubs in the UK. They claimed it might not reflect the situation nationally.  

The exact role the hospitality sector plays in Covid transmission is still unclear. Public Health England data shows only 4.3 per cent of recorded outbreaks last summer were linked to pubs, bars and restaurants.

But experts say pub owners were far less likely to report outbreaks because there was no incentive, and doing so could risk their premise having to shut and risk losing more money. Mandatory contact tracing measures were also not placed on the sector until August. 

A ‘substantial minority’ of the 29 pubs in Scotland researchers visited last summer failed to properly enforce Covid rules to prevent transmission, they said. (Stock)

They added less than half were able to control how many people were in the toilet at one time and 'several' had staff members not wearing PPE. (Pictured: Customers in Glasgow on July 6)

They added less than half were able to control how many people were in the toilet at one time and ‘several’ had staff members not wearing PPE. (Pictured: Customers in Glasgow on July 6)

‘THIS STUDY IS A KICK IN THE TEETH,’ SAY INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Industry leaders today blasted the study as a ‘kick in the teeth’ and ‘hitting publicans while they’re down’, as many premises worry whether they’ll be able to reopen.

They pointed out the study relied on only a small sample size of 29 – which is the equivalent of 0.1 per cent of pubs in the UK – raising questions about its results.

Paul Waterson, who runs a 72-room hotel in Stirling and is a key member of the Scottish Licensed Traders Association, said the study was an ‘insult’ to the trade generally.

‘Especially when our sector is in crisis at the moment to get hit with this is really kicking us when we’re down,’ he told MailOnline. ‘It’s a real kick in the teeth. 

‘Any fair person would say 29 premises will not get you an accurate representation in Scotland, and we don’t even know where these premises are.’

He said the SLTA regularly went round checking places, easily more than 29, and ‘didn’t see anything like this’.

The Association even asked the Scottish Government to enforce the rules by law because they wanted to ensure all premises were abiding by them.

‘It’s absolutely not representative of the trade as we know it,’ he added.

‘The survey seems to paint a picture of pubs in the 1960s and it’s really not representative in any sense of the vast majority of premises that worked really hard to make sure that premises were safe or comfortable and actually the sector spent about £80million getting ready for Covid restrictions.’

Scientists also pointed out the study was qualitative rather than quantitative, meaning it couldn’t give an estimate for how many establishments may be struggling to stick to the rules.

Professor Paul Hunter, a medicine expert at the University of East Anglia, warned the study was ‘qualitative rather than quantitative’, meaning it could not reveal how common inadequate control was across pubs and bars in Scotland.

‘In many ways the findings within this research are not surprising and most of us would have intuitively guessed what those findings would have been,’ he said.

‘Nevertheless, the way that Fitzgerald and colleagues documented these findings give a clearer understanding of what those failings are and how these failing often came about.

He added: ‘There is now quite a lot of evidence that crowded indoor venues like pubs and bars are places where transmission of Covid does occur.

The University of Stirling researchers visited 29 bars and pubs in Scotland posing as customers between July and August for the study, as restrictions were lifted. 

At that time pubs were allowed to open so long as they were ‘Covid secure’ and made sure tables were spaced apart and staff wore PPE.

But it wasn’t until August when collecting details for test and trace and table-service only was made mandatory. 

Incidents of ‘greater concern’ — repeated singing, shouting, mixing between groups, standing around bars — were seen in 11 of the premises visited, the researchers said.

When these were occurring they said staff either did not intervene, or intervened in a light-hearted way — by gently or playfully reprimanding customers — which was largely ineffective, the researchers said.

Incidents where staff managed to stop this behaviour were ‘rare’.

Nine premises initially failed to collect data for contract tracing in July, the study also found, and one was still not collecting it when this was made mandatory in August.

Fewer than half — the researchers did not specify how many — operated table service at first, and the scientists also pointed out only two were asking all customers to apply hand sanitiser upon entry.

Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, a sociologist who led the research, said: ‘Upon re-opening, substantial efforts to change the layout of bars were observed and appeared to be working well in many premises.

‘But problems were common including staff not wearing personal protective equipment, or with the management of toilets, queues and other ‘pinch points’.’

She added that: ‘Despite the efforts of bar operators and guidance from government, potentially significant risks of Covid transmission persisted in at least a substantial minority of observed bars, especially when customers were intoxicated. 

‘Closures of premises can eliminate these risks, but also cause significant hardship for business owners and staff.’ 

Blasting the results today, the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association Emma McClarkin said: ‘This research, funded by the Scottish Government, was carried out by a health research unit seeking only one outcome.

‘The research was conducted from May to August, but pubs only reopened from July and during this time PHE data shows just 4 per cent of Covid incidents were linked to hospitality settings, which included restaurants and cafés, not just pubs.’

‘In a sector survey conducted in October last year, just one per cent of 22,500 pubs, restaurants and hospitality venues said they had been linked by NHS Test and Trace to an incidence.

‘The overwhelming majority of pubs across the UK worked incredibly hard to adapt to the Government guidelines when they first reopened last year. 

‘In fact, pubs were commended by the UK Government for their diligence and pro-activity in doing so.

‘As an industry we take our responsibilities incredibly seriously and however small this study sample is – representing less than 0.1 per cent  of pubs in the UK – our sector will continue to work together to ensure all pubs follow the correct Government guidance and regulations.

‘Those pubs who did not follow the rules were rightly subject to enforcement action and closure if necessary, but the actions of a few cannot be allowed to undo the hard work of so many others.’

Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, a sociologist who led the research, said 'problems included staff not wearing PPE or with the management of toilets, queues and other "pinch points".' (Pictured: Britons enjoy a pint in Glasgow on July 6)

Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, a sociologist who led the research, said ‘problems included staff not wearing PPE or with the management of toilets, queues and other ‘pinch points’.’ (Pictured: Britons enjoy a pint in Glasgow on July 6)

Industry leaders have blasted the report as a 'kick in the teeth' and 'hitting the industry while we're down'. (Pictured: A group of students enjoy drinks in Glasgow on July 6)

Industry leaders have blasted the report as a ‘kick in the teeth’ and ‘hitting the industry while we’re down’. (Pictured: A group of students enjoy drinks in Glasgow on July 6)

Paul Waterson, who runs a 72-room hotel in Stirling and is a key member of the Scottish Licensed Traders Association, said the study was an ‘insult’ to the trade generally.

‘Especially when our sector is in crisis at the moment to get hit with this is really kicking us when we’re down,’ he told MailOnline. ‘It’s a real kick in the teeth. 

‘Any fair person would say 29 premises will not get you an accurate representation in Scotland, and we don’t even know where these premises are.’

He said the SLTA regularly went round checking places, easily more than 29, and ‘didn’t see anything like this’.

The Association even asked the Scottish Government to enforce the rules by law because they wanted to ensure all premises were abiding by them.

‘It’s absolutely not representative of the trade as we know it,’ he added.

‘The survey seems to paint a picture of pubs in the 1960s and it’s really not representative in any sense of the vast majority of premises that worked really hard to make sure that premises were safe or comfortable and actually the sector spent about £80million getting ready for Covid restrictions.’

The research was published in the Journal Of Studies On Alcohol And Drugs.

Professor Paul Hunter, a medicine expert at the University of East Anglia, warned the study was ‘qualitative rather than quantitative’, meaning it could not reveal how common inadequate control was across pubs and bars in Scotland.

‘In many ways the findings within this research are not surprising and most of us would have intuitively guessed what those findings would have been,’ he said.

‘Nevertheless, the way that Fitzgerald and colleagues documented these findings give a clearer understanding of what those failings are and how these failing often came about.

‘What comes across from the interviews is that managers of the bars are committed to providing Covid-secure environments and many venues had made substantial improvements upon reopening. 

‘However, in a number of venues these commitments may not stand up to real world exposure.

He added: ‘There is now quite a lot of evidence that crowded indoor venues like pubs and bars are places where transmission of Covid does occur. 

‘What this paper highlights are the difficulties that will be faced as we open hospitality venues in coming months.’