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‘Two thirds’ of Scottish pubs at risk as Scotland braces itself for more Covid restrictions

Pubs and restaurants in Scotland are bracing themselves for further Covid restrictions expected to be announced this afternoon, as the industry warns that two thirds of Scottish pubs may be at risk of closing for good.

Edinburgh from Carlton Hill

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to announced new restrictions to curb the rising infect rate of Covid-19 and suppress a ‘second wave this afternoon. She has said that the country won’t return to a full lockdown or introduce nationwide travel bans, but additional measure are expected to hit the hospitality industry.

Since 25 September, pubs, bars and restaurants in Scotland must close at 10pm, but Sturgeon has not ruled out futher measures that will hit the industry, saying it must look at “settings in which people are more likely to come together – where they’re most likely to be coming into contact with large groups of other people where they could be passing it on.”

Paul Waterson of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) told BBC Good Morning Scotland that the country was already in danger of losing around a third of its pubs even before the onset of Covid-19, risking around 12,500 jobs – which has been exacerpated by the 10pm curfew, but could double if further restrictions are put in place.

Waterson pointed to a recent survey of its membership, in which third of respondents (representing around 10% of its members) said they were not-viable financially. However the SLTA estimates that up to two-thirds could have to close in the next few months if further measure are introduced.

The SLTA said that due to greater flexibilty on staggered trading hours, the pub trade in Scotland was disproportionately affected, losing “more trading hours per day than any other country in the UK” – with the staggered closing times we have in Scotland this is anything from between 2 and 5 hours per day.”

 

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