Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has welcomed news that pubs will open.
Pubs across the United Kingdom were shut during lockdown but on Saturday July 4th will be allowed to reopen again, providing they are able to follow safety and hygiene measures to keep both customers and staff safe. This guidance will include:
- Table service where possible – people will be discouraged from ordering at bars and each table will be assigned a single member of staff in order to limit contact
- Use of contactless ordering where possible – this could be through an app
- Encouraging staff to stick to one particular area within a pub
- Encouraging both customers and staff to use hand sanitiser or wash their hand upon entering the pub and encouraging regular hand washing
- Encouraging social distancing and ensuring that social distancing can be maintained within a pub – this could be through staff guidance or through signs within the pub
The Government has developed these measures through working with key industry stakeholders and will continue to review the guidelines over the coming weeks and months to ensure people are staying safe.
Commenting, Richard said ‘I know that lockdown has been really difficult for pubs across North West Durham and the rest of the country. Pubs across my constituency have faced an incredibly challenging time so I am delighted that they will now be allowed to reopen in a safe way so that the country can remain safe, but we can kickstart our economy. We are so lucky to have so many brilliant pubs across the constituency. The only thing I ask is that people stay sensible and stay safe - I know we are all desperate to get back to the pubs (me included!) but it is really important that we work together to keep our communities safe. I have spoken to pub owners across the constituency throughout the pandemic and will continue to work with them to make sure that they can open safely, receive the clear guidance they need and can get their businesses going again.’
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