Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new restrictions across the whole of England in an effort to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variant. People will only be able to leave the house to go to work if they cannot do so from home or if they are shopping for essentials.
Exercise with one other person outdoors will be permitted, and you may leave home to provide care to a vulnerable person or to attend a medical appointment or for a medical emergency. International travel is also banned unless for work.
Alcohol takeaways are to be banned from tomorrow until mid-February in England as the Prime Minister seeks to curb socialising under the new lockdown regime.
All restaurants, pubs and other hospitality settings must close their doors to customers from tomorrow under the new rules, however restaurants will be able to sell food and soft drinks for delivery, click-and-collect and takeaway, but venues particularly pubs and bars will no longer be able to serve takeaway or click-and-collect alcohol.
The ban is understood to be driven by fears that customers purchasing takeaway alcohol from pub and bar doors would then congregate with friends nearby to drink.
The British Beer & Pub Association, responded to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that England is to go into a third lockdown.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “A third lockdown is yet another blow to our sector. Particularly after it has faced an abysmally quiet Christmas and New Year’s, which saw many pubs remain closed over what is meant to be their busiest time of the year.
“The announcement today adds to the woes of pubs as it shows they are a long way from reopening properly. The road to recovery for the pub sector just got longer.
“Given the circumstances, a wave of business failures is imminent unless a greater package of financial support from the Government is given to secure pubs and the brewers that supply them. That means grants in line with those in the first lockdown and support beyond April when the business rates holiday, lower VAT rates and furlough scheme all end.
“Having made it this far through the crisis, it would be disastrous if the Prime Minister didn’t now deliver the support our sector needs to ensure it makes it through to Easter when we hope to return back to normality.“Without such support, this lockdown will just tip pubs over the edge meaning jobs vital to communities across England will be lost forever to the detriment of the economy in the long term.
“Ultimately we know that pubs will eventually be a part of the way out of this crisis and back to normality. Some are even offering themselves up as vaccine hubs, which drives home the fact losing them would do untold harm to our communities.”
