New coronavirus rules cause weeks of cancelled restaurant bookings in Manchester
One restaurant lost 100 bookings after the government placed the area in lockdown.
Worried customers are frantically cancelling bookings with Manchester pubs and restaurants due to new coronavirus restrictions launched on Friday, a hospitality boss has said.
Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, said one restaurant had already lost 100 bookings over the coming three weeks.
The government announced local measures in Greater Manchester and parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire at 11pm on Thursday July 30 that were to come into effect the next day.
The measures were put in place after a spike in virus cases in the area. The government hopes banning different households from meeting indoors or in gardens will also help lower soaring infection rates.
New restrictions also prevent two different households from mixing in pubs, restaurants, and other hospitality sites.
The venues will be allowed to remain open so long as guests only visit individually or with members of their own household.
Mr Lord, founder of Parklife festival and the Warehouse Project, said he feared this could lead to closures, some permanently. He continued: ‘There’s a lot of panic at the moment.
‘The night time economy only opened a few weeks ago and is already on its knees, this feels like the final hammer blow.’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said two households in the North West can still meet ‘at a social distance in a public place outdoors’ such as a park. However, meeting another household in a pub garden or an outdoor restaurant space is not allowed.
Mr Lord also criticised the timing of the announcement, which was made just a few hours before the restrictions came into effect.
He said: ‘All the produce had been brought in for this weekend, staff rotas were done. On what could be the hottest day of the year the beer gardens would have been heaving, to drop this last night is shambolic.
‘Safety is the most important thing, but this could have been dealt with so much better.
‘It has been ill thought out, I still think they are making it up as they go along.’ Maurizio Cecco, owner of Salvi’s in Manchester, said 70% of bookings at the Italian restaurant had been cancelled as a result of the new restrictions.
He added: ‘Today should be the hottest day of the year and we brought more stock in and things like that, but it’s not as busy as I thought it should be because of last night.
‘We should protect ourselves and the Government should take action, but we needed to know sooner. They waited until the last minute, businesses can’t change everything in no time.’
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said the government was right to take action after it became clear that the picture on Covid-19 cases had changed, and urged people to obey the new restrictions.
He told Sky News: ‘On the substance, we do accept that these steps are needed. They’re modest steps.
‘We’re asking people not to have visitors at home, if they go to the pub to stick within their own household – steps that hopefully will prevent much more severe restrictions if we take firm action at this time.’
Increasing infection rates across the UK have also pushed the government to slow the easing of lockdown in other areas, despite criticism.
Venues such as casinos and bowling alleys were due to open on August 1 but this has been pushed back in an effort to stem the flow of Covid.
Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, said one restaurant had already lost 100 bookings over the coming three weeks.
The government announced local measures in Greater Manchester and parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire at 11pm on Thursday July 30 that were to come into effect the next day.
The measures were put in place after a spike in virus cases in the area. The government hopes banning different households from meeting indoors or in gardens will also help lower soaring infection rates.
New restrictions also prevent two different households from mixing in pubs, restaurants, and other hospitality sites.
The venues will be allowed to remain open so long as guests only visit individually or with members of their own household.
Mr Lord, founder of Parklife festival and the Warehouse Project, said he feared this could lead to closures, some permanently. He continued: ‘There’s a lot of panic at the moment.
‘The night time economy only opened a few weeks ago and is already on its knees, this feels like the final hammer blow.’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said two households in the North West can still meet ‘at a social distance in a public place outdoors’ such as a park. However, meeting another household in a pub garden or an outdoor restaurant space is not allowed.
Mr Lord also criticised the timing of the announcement, which was made just a few hours before the restrictions came into effect.
He said: ‘All the produce had been brought in for this weekend, staff rotas were done. On what could be the hottest day of the year the beer gardens would have been heaving, to drop this last night is shambolic.
‘Safety is the most important thing, but this could have been dealt with so much better.
‘It has been ill thought out, I still think they are making it up as they go along.’ Maurizio Cecco, owner of Salvi’s in Manchester, said 70% of bookings at the Italian restaurant had been cancelled as a result of the new restrictions.
He added: ‘Today should be the hottest day of the year and we brought more stock in and things like that, but it’s not as busy as I thought it should be because of last night.
‘We should protect ourselves and the Government should take action, but we needed to know sooner. They waited until the last minute, businesses can’t change everything in no time.’
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said the government was right to take action after it became clear that the picture on Covid-19 cases had changed, and urged people to obey the new restrictions.
He told Sky News: ‘On the substance, we do accept that these steps are needed. They’re modest steps.
‘We’re asking people not to have visitors at home, if they go to the pub to stick within their own household – steps that hopefully will prevent much more severe restrictions if we take firm action at this time.’
Increasing infection rates across the UK have also pushed the government to slow the easing of lockdown in other areas, despite criticism.
Venues such as casinos and bowling alleys were due to open on August 1 but this has been pushed back in an effort to stem the flow of Covid.
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