UKH Scotland calls for further financial support
The news comes as first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that the country will move to Level 0 and see some restrictions lifted
UKHospitality Scotland has called for further financial support for the hospitality sector as the industry prepares to come out of lockdown on 19 July 2021.
The news comes as first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that the country will move to Level 0 and see some restrictions lifted.
As part of the move, hospitality settings will be allowed to remain open till midnight, if their current licence permits that, and customers will no longer be required to pre-book a two-hour slot to go to a pub or restaurant. Customers will still be required to provide contact details to assist Test and Protect.
Sturgeon said: “We are easing restrictions next week – but we are not abandoning them. We will also keep in place for now certain other measures – such as the requirement to wear face coverings, cooperate with test and protect teams, and comply with advice on good hygiene and ventilation.”
However Leon Thompson, executive director for UKHospitality Scotland, argued that hospitality continues to trade in a “very difficult environment” which will not improve until all major restrictions are removed.
He reiterated that businesses are still “burdened” with expensive short-term debt and will continue to struggle, “unable to break-even whilst ongoing and seemingly endless restrictions continue”.
Thompson added that if the government introduced a new package of support, it can make the difference between “survival and closure for some businesses”.
