Please note: this article was correct at the time of writing and publication. However, please bear in mind that advice and guidance may change at short notice due to the nature of this unprecedented situation. We are doing our utmost to provide up to date information, as and when it happens.

For the latest, please visit www.ncass.org.uk/coronavirus

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a Statement in Parliament today to confirm the Covid-19 Alert Level has been reduced from 4 to 3 meaning that lock-down measures can begin to be reduced.

As such, new, positive measures have been put in place with a view of re-opening as much of the hospitality industry as possible in England only – dates for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow in line with their respective parliament’s announcements.  

Reducing the 2 metre rule down to ‘1 metre plus’, if safe to do so from the 4th of July, will allow for pubs and restaurants to re-open (the plus means that mitigation measures must be put in place to prevent face-to-face contact). The Government has stated that if these mitigation measures are put in place, then the level of Covid-19 protection is ‘broadly the same’ as maintaining a 2 metre distance. This part of the hospitality sector will be limited to seated and contact details of customers should be taken to support the Track and Trace programme.

The reduction of social distancing will allow our pubs, restaurants and hotel members to re-open in some capacity. It also allows / creates more opportunity for outdoor markets – the next step will be to ensure that government guidelines for operating safely are being followed.

Once the guidance has been released later today, we can support our members in implementing this safely and it is up to us to show that we are working in a responsible way  – there are still huge risks and so as operators we need to show best practice.

We are disappointed that there has been no mention of the festival and events sector at all and the traders that rely so heavily on them. The future of mobile catering remains uncertain with nowhere to trade from and money tied up in the events sector. We need more support for these members and will continue to share our position with government.

As soon as the guidance is released, we will work to show what this means to our members and produce guidance to support you.

You can read the statement here:

Prime Minister's statement to the House on COVID-19: 23 June 2020