New COVID-19 Rules Cause Pub Closures and Confusion in Wales

A new set of rules and restrictions put in place by the government in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Wales has caused confusion among pub owners.

The changes took effect at 6 p.m. Friday and will be in place until at least 17 Dec., when the government will reportedly do another review.

What Are the New COVID-19 Rules?

The new COVID-19 rules involve both restrictions on what can be sold and when establishments can sell it.

As of last Friday, restaurants, licenced pubs and cafes in Wales are no longer allowed to serve alcohol on premises, according to the BBC. Pubs with an off-licence are able to sell alcohol for pickup.

While these businesses must close at 6 p.m. each day, they are able to offer takeaway food and drinks after 6 p.m.

Supermarkets may still sell alcohol.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the government had considered a 6 p.m. cutoff for alcohol sales in shops, but because it was likely that people would simply stock up ahead of time, it would have been “an action without a consequence,” the BBC reported.

New COVID-19 Rules Cause Confusion on the Border

The new restrictions in Wales are causing some confusion along the border with England, with some pubs reportedly calling the rules “messy.”

While Welsh pubs are banned from serving alcohol, Tier 2 pubs in England are allowed to serve it along with a meal.

For example, The Bell Inn and the Boat Inn, which sit on opposite banks of the River Wye in Redbrook have different rules; the establishments sit 180 yards apart. 

Boat Inn landlady Debbie Burch told the BBC she thinks the rules should be the same.

“Maybe [The Bell Inn] should be allowed to serve a drink with a meal and then close at 6 p.m.,” she said. “that would have made sense.”

Meanwhile, The Bell Inn’s landlord, Nick Till, said he thought both pubs would have wanted the same rules.

“There’s no one-upmanship involved,” he told the BBC. “We just want our normal trade.”

He added he was unsure whether he was now allowed to serve someone who came into his pub from Wales. 

“It’s not very clear,” he said. “It’s just a mess.”

COVID-19 Restrictions Impacts the Economy

Because Wales is home to 2,190 pubs — the second-highest number per population in the U.K., according to the BBC — thousands of people are expected to be affected by the new restrictions.

Wales reportedly employs over 100,000 people in its food and accommodation sector, with 27,400 of those jobs in the country’s 1,200 cafes and 1,500 restaurants.

In addition 229,500 people are employed in Wales’ food and drink supply chain, in jobs such as catering, retail and manufacturing.

Brains, the largest brewery in Wales, has announced it closed 100 of its managed pubs Friday and furloughed 1,500 staff members, the BBC reported.

Alistair Darby, Brians’ chief executive, said the previous firebreak lockdown cost the brewer £1.6 million.

Darby called the new pub restrictions “insulting” and said they were “a huge slap in the face” for the food and accommodation sector.

Some businesses are not going along with the COVID-19 rules, however.

According to the BBC, 79 bars, restaurants and pubs in Wales have been closed as a result of breaking coronavirus rules, while 194 have been put on notice.

Will the New COVID-19 Rules Work?

Many people have been struggling to figure out whether there is any scientific evidence that points to a benefit in closing pubs.

During a briefing, Drakeford said evidence existed that coronavirus was indeed spreading at hospitality establishments, and failure to implement changes could mean an additional 1,000 to 1,700 preventable deaths this winter.

When asked what that evidence was, the government initially referred to a Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) report issued in September that said pub restrictions had a “moderate impact” on the spread of the disease.

However, that “moderate risk” was referring to a case in which pubs were shuttered entirely, according to the BBC.

Not only that, the report went on to say curfews were likely to have only a “marginal impact” and there was “low confidence” in that outcome.

Asked for more specifics, the government pointed to a different SAGE report that indicated level-three restrictions in Scotland and Tier 3 in England were effective.

In England, those restrictions involve the closure of a venue entirely, whereas in Scotland, venues are under similar restrictions as those in Wales.

These restrictions were implemented 2 Nov., and many areas now at level three or four in Scotland had previously been under full-closure restrictions.

“We know that as the consumption of alcohol increases, social distancing and the perception of risk decreases,” a Welsh government spokesperson said, according to the BBC. “Wherever people mix, there’s a risk of coronavirus being passed on.”

What do you think of the new coronavirus restrictions in Wales? Have they affected you? Let us know in the comments section below.

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