Keep Sandwell safe – hospitality sector thanked and urged to keep to Covid rules

Keep Sandwell safe – hospitality sector thanked and urged to keep to Covid rules

As summer brings warmer days and long evenings, restaurants and pubs are being urged to keep customers and staff safe by following government rules designed to stop Covid-19 spreading.

Sandwell’s director of public health Dr Lisa McNally said: “We want to thank the vast majority of hospitality businesses that are working so hard to keep customers and staff safe.

“With the extension to the roadmap restrictions into July and the worrying rise of the Delta variant first identified in India, it’s vital that venues keep everybody safe.

“After everything we’ve all been through and the huge hit the hospitality sector has taken during lockdown, we mustn’t squander the progress we’ve made by playing fast and loose with our safety. Only by keeping to the rules can our pubs, restaurants and other venues stay open and begin to rebuild the sector.

“And the message remains – if a business is not following the rules and looking after your safety, don’t go there!”

The current restrictions include:

• Restaurants and pubs selling alcohol must only serve customers who are seated. Customers must be seated to order and must remain seated while eating and drinking. This also applies to venues with facilities outside.
• Premises must record details for every customer aged over 16 for Test and Trace. They must have available the QR code for customers to scan/use and also the ability for customers to manually provide their details.
• Unless seated, customers should wear face coverings while indoors (unless exempt for medical reasons). Notices should be displayed prominently informing customers of the requirement to wear a face covering.
• Staff must wear face coverings in indoor areas, unless they are separated from customers by a screen or similar and when serving customers at tables.
• Venues can serve groups of up to six people or two households of any size indoors. Premises need to remain vigilant to this and ensure that tables do not mix with other groups and that social distancing is maintained.

Premises are still required to follow the restrictions placed on them and must ensure customers follow the rules to be able to operate safely.

More details on the current restrictions are available at www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/restaurants-offering-takeaway-or-delivery

Advice and support for businesses is also available at www.thinksandwell.com/coronavirus-support-for-sandwell-businesses