Whilst the Prime Minister announced that pubs and restaurants could reopen from 4th July, not all establishments are ready to reopen yet and some have chosen to delay their reopening until they are fully prepared.
The Government has introduced these changes to lockdown measures in a bid to open more businesses and get the economy moving; positive news when combined with the knowledge that the number of COVID-19 cases have been encouragingly low in the Salisbury area.
Before reopening, all hospitality businesses must follow strict COVID Secure guidelines to reduce the risk for staff and customers.
Amanda Newbery, Interim Hospitality Representative on the Salisbury BID Board and Vice Chair of Salisbury PubWatch, working closely with hospitality businesses in the city, said: “It seems very strange not to be promoting our hospitality businesses, but we’re asking people to check whether you need to book a table at the pub before turning up during these early days while we get used to these new strict guidelines.
“We look forward to the sector reopening, but people need to realise they won’t just be able to turn up at the pub and expect things to be normal. These establishments have had to implement lots of social distancing measures to keep customers and staff safe, and the guidelines state businesses should use a booking system in order to safely manage their customers.
“Only a few city centre pubs are reopening on Saturday, and as far as we’re aware these are already fully booked. We really want to avoid the city centre being full of people gathering on the streets because they can’t get into the pub.
“We are of course encouraging everyone to support our city centre businesses; we are very grateful of the support. Shops and cafes welcome visitors, but we’re urging people to pre-book a table at pubs and restaurants before travelling into the city to avoid any disappointment.”
Stay safe and act responsibly
It is imperative that the general public play their part in keeping everyone safe. People must continue to wash their hands regularly and obey social distancing rules. People should continue to stay two metres apart, but where this is not possible a distance of at least one metre should be kept.
The public are urged to act responsibly and reminded anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. The city centre CCTV remains operational and operators are in communication with the licensed premises, shops, police, the BID’s Ranger and City Centre Security Guards via the city’s radio link.
What to expect
Businesses have interpreted and implemented the COVID Secure guidance in different ways, but people can expect:
NHS Test and Trace
The hospitality sector is also supporting the NHS Test and Trace services. Businesses are asked to keep a temporary record of their customer contact details for 21 days. This could help prevent clusters and outbreaks of the virus.
Open for business
A list of businesses open for business in Salisbury city centre can be found here.
In partnership with VisitWiltshire, Salisbury BID co-fund the Visit Salisbury website to promote the city to visitors. The Visit Salisbury website has a full events calendar for Salisbury.
