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A group of business owners in the U.K. hospitality industry is threatening a lockdown legal challenge against the coronavirus restrictions that may force restaurants, pubs and social venues down.
The U.K.’s pubs, restaurants, event venues and nightclubs have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, but business owners want proof that keeping hospitality venues open is causing increasing coronavirus cases, the BBC reported.
The U.K.’s hospitality sector is considering a lockdown legal challenge because although pandemic measures have been enabled the enforcement of curfews and closures for hospitality venues, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) alleges there is no evidence bars and restaurants are to blame for the escalating number of coronavirus cases.
However, Reuters reported the lockdown legal challenge is on hold for now in light of the new three-tier restrictions announced Monday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Sacha Lord, creator and operator of Manchester’s Parklife festival and The Warehouse Project, told Reuters a group of entertainment and hospitality business leaders had a plan to meet with their lawyers to discuss a possible lockdown legal challenge. The group only planned to meet with lawyers if restrictions were placed on the city where Lord works.
“The plan is on hold,” Lord said. “We are still going to get the troops ready because obviously things are changing on a daily basis … we are not out of the zone yet.”
However, Michael Kill of the NTIA says there is no alternative for the hospitality industry than to launch a lockdown legal challenge.
“The industry has been left with no other option but to legally challenge the so called ‘common sense’ approach narrative from government, on the implementation of further restrictions across the North of England,” he wrote in an email to the Daily Mail.
“These new measures will have a catastrophic impact on late night businesses, and are exacerbated further by an insufficient financial support package presented by the chancellor in an attempt to sustain businesses through this period,” Kill told the BBC. “This next round of restrictions are hugely disproportionate and unjust, with no scientific rationale or correlation to Public Health England transmission rates, when compared to other key environments.”
Most areas where people congregate and socialise, including pubs and restaurants, will likely be told they must close, much like those in Scotland.
Although the government seems adamant about closing down pubs and bars to prevent social mingling, lawyers representing at least 10 hospitality leaders are ready to launch a lockdown legal challenge, arguing they want to see the evidence that supports pub and venue closures, The Guardian reported.
The significant restrictions placed on hospitality venues has caused them great revenue losses, but they argue the closures do not provide any “tangible scientific evidence” to back up the government’s claims.
The hospitality leaders who may initiate a lockdown legal challenge are asking for evidence that shows closing down restaurants and pubs is actually slowing down the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are calling out for the scientific evidence that supports closure,” Lord told The Guardian. “The vast majority of businesses have put in place impeccable measures to protect their customers, all at an extra cost to their business, yet it feels like the government are taking another cheap shot at the hospitality industry.”
He continued: “Once again the government wants to shut down pubs and bars, but this cannot keep happening and we need to understand why the hospitality industry is being isolated like this — where is the scientific evidence to suggest closing venues suppresses transmission?”
Do you think the hospitality industry will have grounds to file a lockdown legal challenge? Do you think the government’s restrictions are reasonable? Tell us what you think.
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