Leeds lockdown: Night marshals brought in as pubs reopen

Leeds City Council has been helping businesses prepare for the "new normal"

Night marshals will be out on the streets of Leeds in the coming weeks as pubs, bars and restaurants reopen.

As coronavirus lockdown measures lift, the six marshals will be on hand to remind people of social distancing rules and help with crowd management.

Leeds City Council said they would help support police to "keep things running smoothly".

Other measures include allowing businesses to serve food and drinks outside and the widening of pavements.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, from the local authority, said: "This is a new normal for everyone so having some extra bodies on the ground to help us work through it all will be really useful."

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He said they would be there from 4-28 July to "make sure rules are being followed but not enforcing in the same way that the police might be".

Ahead of Saturday, he said the council had been advising businesses on social distancing and cleaning regimes to make sure the risk of transmission was as low as possible.

Pubs, bars and restaurants will reopen in most parts of England from Saturday

Music should also be played more quietly, to avoid customers having to speak more loudly over it, which would increase the risk of spreading droplets in the air.

Government guidance states places like pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers should keep a temporary record of customers and visitors for 21 days, to support the test and trace system.

Many will also use apps to allow people to order from a distance rather than queue at the bar.

Mr Pryor said people coming into Leeds for the first time in a while would notice things look "a bit different".

"We have been extending pavements so it's easier to pass people in the street, where shops and bars will have large queues outside we have added space so they can queue in a socially distant way," he said.

• SOCIAL DISTANCING: What are the rules now?

• BUBBLES: How do they work and who can be in yours?

• JOBS: Can my boss force me to go to work?

• SOCIAL LIFE: When will pubs, bars and restaurants reopen?

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