Working lunch 'loophole' hope for pubs and restaurants

Hospitality chiefs are scrambling to work out whether working lunches in English pubs and restaurants could be exempt from new Covid restrictions.

Trade body UK Hospitality said it wants government clarification, as many central London venues rely on workers meeting up over lunch.

People from different households in England are banned from meeting in pubs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas.

But the rules suggest meetings are allowed for business purposes.

Current government guidance advises working from home as much as possible and limiting social contact.

The question is whether rules allowing necessary business meetings come first, or rules banning the mixing of households, UK Hospitality chief Kate Nicholls told the BBC.

"We don't know," she said. "It's a grey area."

A Number 10 spokesman suggested that the loophole may only be available to sole traders or freelancers with no business premises to conduct meetings as an alternative.

• What Covid tier is my area in?

• Can I eat out with someone from a different tier?

• When and how are pubs allowed to open?

Ms Nicholls said businesses would need to know how they judge whether a lunch is for work purposes or whether potential patrons are breaking the rules,.

"This could be a vital revenue stream for some venues at a time when they are trying to operate under extreme restrictions," Ms she said.

"It is not likely to be a magic wand for the sector, though.".

For Tier 3 regions, being open to lunchtime custom would also mean businesses could not receive employment support, since that is for businesses closed by the restrictions.

"It also relies on people physically coming together to hold their meetings at a time when the trend appears to be towards working from home and remote meetings," she said.

"If workers can see the benefit in a face-to-face meeting in a safe setting, then they need to know the option is there for them. That's something which may not have been communicated too well by the government."

Jobs warning

Last week, UK Hospitality warned that tougher Tier 2 Covid restrictions will put up to 250,000 jobs at risk in London's hospitality sector.

Households are not allowed to mix indoors, including in pubs and restaurants.

Ms Nicholls said that without additional government support thousands of jobs in the capital will go. "It will be absolutely catastrophic," she told the BBC.

She has written to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, warning that elevating the capital's coronavirus risk level "will be incredibly damaging without additional financial support".

• TEST AND TRACE: How does it work?

• THREE TIERS: How will the system work?

• PAY-PACKET SUPPORT: What will I be paid under the new scheme?

• JOBS: How will I be kept safe at work?