Leaked notes from the government show that a second full lockdown in England could be announced next week on Monday and enforced from Wednesday.
The source of the leak has not yet been identified but is being widely reported alongside significant and mounting pressure to implement a second full lockdown following similar actions in France and Germany.
The government had hoped to avoid a second lockdown with Boris Johnson saying as much on countless occasions. However, he and Rishi Sunak and a number of advisors are locked away this weekend planning how to make the announcement and balance the economy at the same time.
As the leaked information disseminated since its first emergence last night, panic has resulted and most of us in hospitality can only now watch and wait.
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive, UKHospitalityEarlier today on BBC Breakfast the second national lockdown news was met with alarm. Speaking on the programme, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls warned that a national lockdown would be “absolutely devastating” for the hospitality industry. Nicholls explained: “If we are to get through another national lockdown in hospitality we are going to need significant additional help to be able to get through this.”
Nicholls’ apprehensions were shared by the chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, Mike Cherry. His concerns showed when he said that facing another lockdown businesses that had already invested significantly in making their businesses safe were being frustrated.
Also on the programme was Sage member, Prof Calum Semple, who said the government’s current three-tier system “hasn’t worked particularly well”. He went on to say that a national lockdown, with full compliance, “would see a dramatic fall in hospital admissions” in four weeks’ time.
With pressure mounting for the second lockdown Rishi Sunak will be under even greater pressure to come up with economic support for businesses. That support will need to be swift and substantial to avert further business closures and unemployment levels rising further.
With so many hospitality businesses almost at breaking point , this knee jerk policy from the government, unless implemented with appropriate financial support will be a final and fatal blow.
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Hospitality & Catering News: Full lockdown in England – 31 October 2020 – Full lockdown in England.
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