Hours after nightclubs reopened in England after almost 16 months as part of the final easing of COVID restrictions, the U.K. government announced that only fully vaccinated patrons would be allowed to enter crowded venues such as nightclubs until the end of September. The decision was taken to boost vaccine uptake among young people, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced.
“Proof of a negative test will no longer be enough,” he said.
While he said he didn’t want a situation where people would be asked to “produce papers” to enter pubs, he didn’t rule it out either and suggested that the use of the NHS COVID app could be made compulsory for nightclubs.
Johnson’s announcement comes at a time when the country’s hospitality firms are struggling to recover from massive losses caused by the pandemic, while at the same time battling shortage of staff caused by “pingdemic absences.”
Pub, restaurant, club and hotel owners are struggling to find staff since the survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as businesses wrestle with the impact of thousands of staff who have to self-isolate after being “pinged” by NHS test and trace.
There were approximately 102,000 job vacancies in the hospitality sector between April and June, more than five times higher than the 19,000 recorded in December to February and more than 20% higher than the pre-pandemic levels. According to ONS data, revenues are still 70% below the pre-pandemic levels at the end of May, with pubs and nightclubs faring much worse.
Trade body UK Hospitality has joined calls from across several business sectors to reform the NHS COVID app or allow people to work after a negative test, with the view backed by the CBI lobby group and major business groups like Marks & Spencer and Asos.
Although outdoor-focused businesses like campsites and trailer parks received nearly 50% higher revenues in May 2021 than in the corresponding month of 2019, venues that serve alcohol and hotels were almost 50% worse off with pubs and clubs down 61%.
The ONS survey also found that rebound among customer-facing businesses is not necessarily filtering through to the wider supply chain like food producers and breweries. The total value of payments from food and drink business to their suppliers and contractors in May 2021 was only 51% of the pre-pandemic level in February 2020.