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Frustration over lack of date clarity in Wales
In England, the sector has been told that 4 July is the earliest it can open from, although industry voices and operators have said they still feel left in the dark.
UKHospitality Cymru has called on the Welsh Government to provide a date for hospitality’s reopening in the country, and said the fate of up to 40,000 jobs hangs in the balance.
Jobs will be lost if without clear information on reopening and further support for businesses, the trade organisation added.
Scottish hospitality and tourism businesses will be able to open from Wednesday 15 July, it was announced today (Wednesday 10 June).
The Northern Irish executive is set to discuss the subject of reopening hospitality venues tomorrow (Thursday 11 June).
No promises
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said he would not give "any promises” about when pubs and restaurants might be allowed to reopen, in a statement about the country’s lockdown restrictions (Monday 8 June).
The Welsh Government is set to outline changes to its lockdown, which has been more severe than England’s, on Friday 19 June.
UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “Businesses in England are carefully planning for the anticipated return from 4 July and taking bookings from eager customers. Our members in Wales are left frustrated and anxious by the lack of clarity and are forced to contemplate making redundancies because of this unsustainable uncertainty.”
“More than 135,000 jobs are dependent on our industry in Wales, many in remote and precarious economic rural and coastal communities, and even small numbers of lay-offs could be devastating for those important but vulnerable areas."
Nicholls added that guide dates mean businesses will be best prepared to follow health measures.
Raring to go
Sarah Watts-Jones, who runs the Hare & Hounds pub in Aberthin, Wales, told The Morning Advertiser earlier this month (June) she was hopeful there would be a date to aim towards soon.
She said: “We’re feeling a bit confused about when we will reopen, as Wales has separated itself from England, and has set no specific dates as to when it hopes that pubs will reopen.
“We really hope that it will be at some point in the summer, and because we have a large beer garden we will hopefully be amongst some of the first to reopen.”
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