Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that all Pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland are being barred from selling alcohol indoors for 16 days from Friday.
These new restriction will affect Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley from 6pm on Friday.
Sturgeon also said that all snooker, pool and bingo halls as well as casinos in the problem areas will also have to cease trading.
She said that these new measures will last until at least 25 October and Sturgeon admitted that these measures will feel like a “backward step.”
The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) have said that the £40m of economic support offered is most unlikely to save many businesses.
They warned that thousands of jobs are now at” high risk” not just in the pub and hospitality sector as well as the wider supply chain.
Emma McClarkin, the CEO of the SBPA said, “These harsh new restrictions will deliver a knockout blow for many of Scotland’s much-loved pubs and the communities they serve.
“We entirely understand and appreciate the difficult situation of the government and the need to continue to take measures to suppress the virus, but we question the fairness and wisdom of these restrictions and the level of financial support available to help our sector through this.
“As the First Minister acknowledged, the pub and wider hospitality industry has worked incredibly hard, going above and beyond in implementing measures to provide safe and regulated places for communities to socialise in.”
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