The Government's announcement that pubs can re-open from 4 July is certainly very welcome for an industry that remains extremely vulnerable.
Those that are opening will need to very carefully consider the guidance published for the "visitor economy". The comments of Mr Sharma and Frances O'Grady in the BBC article below should also give operators pause - the very clear indication is that re-opening is now your problem, and a failure to stringently risk assess and adapt premises and working practices could lead to serious legal ramifications.
On the property side, operators will need to think about how to reconfigure layouts - do not forget to get landlord consent where required for any alterations. If an operator is tenant of a wider scheme, it will be worth having an open dialogue with the landlord about cleaning rotas, hand washing facilities and so on, but be aware that an increase in provision of services will be reflected in the service charge.
The Government's requirement that temporary customer logs be kept for 21 days also has a data protection impact - operators will still be responsible for that information and how it is stored, used and destroyed.
Lots to think about then, but with the summer weather here it is undoubtedly great news for the industry that the taps can be re-opened.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said he expected people to continue to use "common sense" and follow government guidelines. But he said there was a "legal duty" for businesses to keep their employees safe and the Health and Safety Executive could take action if not.
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