New Restrictions on food and drink Businesses – Covid-19

  • Posted

23rd September 2020

From Friday the 18th September 2020 Posted businesses such as public houses, cafés, restaurants or other relevant businesses that provide food or drink for consumption onsite are subject to new laws and penalties as part of the Government’s new strategy to overcome Covid-19.

The new provisions are detailed below,

The person responsible for each business must take all reasonable measures to ensure that the following are observed:

  1. No bookings for a table are accepted for a group of more than six persons unless any existing exemptions to gatherings apply.
  2. No persons are admitted to the premises in a group of more than six – again unless one of the exemptions to gatherings apply.
  3. No person in one qualifying group mingles with any person in another qualifying group unless permitted e.g. linked households.
  4. In addition, they must ensure that appropriate distance is maintained between tables occupied by different ‘qualifying groups’.
  5. An ‘appropriate distance’ means a distance between tables of:
    1. at least two metres, or
    2. at least one metre, if:
    3. there are barriers or screens between tables
  6. The tables are arranged with back to back seating, or otherwise arranged to ensure that persons sitting at one table do not face any person sitting at another table at a distance of fewer than two metres.

The person responsible for the business has the legal obligation to obey the rules. Staff who do not run the business cannot be personally pursued under the new regulations.

Penalty – There can be an unspecified court fine or a fixed penalty of £1,000.  In keeping with the other regulations, the fixed penalties are doubled for each subsequent offence, to a maximum of £4,000.

Further Advice

 

If you would like any Covid-19 Business advice, please get in touch with our Employment and Commercial Solicitor Sasha Brine 07475069698.