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Plan to get pubs and restaurants open again set out and will include ban on drinkers standing at the bar

DRINKERS will be banned from standing at bars once pubs reopen, under recommendations released by the hospitality industry today.

The 75-page document also suggests restaurants should get rid of salt and pepper shakers, while theme parks may be forced to block the middle seats on rides.

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How your favourite pub could look after lockdown
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How your favourite pub could look after lockdown

The dossier contains suggestions for how the hospitality industry could gradually restart following the coronavirus outbreak.

The government has already warned that pubs, hairdressers, cinemas and restaurants won't be able to fully reopen until July "at the earliest". 

Measures suggested for pubs include banning drinkers for loitering at bars, plus regular patrols of pub gardens to make sure customers are following social distancing rules.

The dossier also recommends that pubs introduce directional markers on the floor, to control the flow of customers, while drinkers should be discouraged from returning their empty drinks to the bar.

What does UKHospitality suggest for pubs and restaurants?

UKHospitality has drafted a 75-page dossier detailing the changes pubs and restaurants could enforce when they reopen.

Pubs:

  • Tape markers on the floor to help customers keep a safe distance from staff and fellow drinkers.
  • A directional system at the bar. For example, customers could pay at a till point and then move onto another area to collect their food.
  • Restrictions on how long customers spend at the bar.
  • Advise that empty glasses aren't returned to the bar. Instead, they should be collected by staff from tables.
  • Regular patrols of pub gardens and outside areas.
  • Specific plans in place to make sure customers are maintaining social distancing in toilet areas.

Restaurants:

  • Individually wrapped condiments instead of salt and pepper shakers.
  • Cutlery should be brought to customers, rather than them helping themselves.
  • New table plans to maintain social distancing.
  • Single-use menus and napkins should be used where possible. Otherwise, replacement should be carried out after every use.
  • Use disinfectants that are effective against bacteria as well as cold and flu viruses.
  • Increased cleaning regimes in kitchens.
  • Control movements of staff. For example, only one person allowed in chilled areas at one time.
  • Handwashing of glassware, plates and cutlery should be avoided in favour of dishwashing, where possible.

Boozers have also been asked to have a plan in place for making sure customers are maintaining social distancing measures in toilets.

For restaurants, the roadmap recommends sachets of condiments instead of salt and pepper shakers and cutlery being brought to customers, rather than them helping themselves.

All dishes and plates should be dishwashed, as opposed to hand washed, where possible, the report says. 

The dossier also recommends throw-away menus and napkins, spaced out tables and increased cleaning regimes for kitchen areas.

When it comes to theme parks, it's been recommended that the middle seat of rides should be locked out.

The changes to ride capacity may mean even longer queues for your favourite rollercoaster.

UKHospitality says the document is still in draft stage.

The government has yet to officially announce if it'll enforce any of the suggestions.

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, said: "UKH has worked hard with our members and alongside other industry bodies to provide practical and effective guidelines to enable businesses to begin to reopen safely when the time is right.

"These are draft guidelines that have been shared with governments in England, Scotland and Wales, to help inform their plans for re-openings.

"We hope that the guidelines will help businesses draw up plans, ensuring that safety is at the forefront of operations when the right time comes to reopen."

This week, The Sun explored how your local pub could look when it eventually reopens.

Such measures that could be implemented include plastic screens separating punters, outside market-style food stalls and even a limit on how many drinks you can buy.

Pubs and restaurant chains have been allowed to operate a food takeaway and delivery service during lockdown.

The government has also said that any easing of lockdown restrictions, which come as part of Boris Johnson’s three-step roadmap, is in condition of the UK passing five tests.

This includes ensuring the NHS isn’t overwhelmed and the rate of infection decreasing to manageable levels.

Pubs and restaurants have been shut since the UK went into lockdown on March 23.

While most mainstream pub chains have yet to official reveal how their establishments will look once they reopen, some have offered a glimpse of how the industry will operate.

For example, the boss of Greene King pubs has said how customers could order pints from their mobile phones while in pub gardens when their local reopens.

Chief executive Nick Mackenzie shared his vision in an interview with The Sunday Times earlier this month.

There has been no official confirmation from the pub chain about if this will go ahead, or when.

Meanwhile, Oakman Inns & Restaurants owner Peter Borg-Neal has launched a prototype for how his pubs will look.

Here's what happened when The Sun went for a pint at the Betsy Wynne.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

Oakman Inns & Restaurants owns 28 pubs across the UK.

The Sun has also rounded up all the changes you could see during your next hotel stay here - and it could mean no more buffet tables.

Sun visits Betsey Wynne pub to find out what a socially distanced pint could look like
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