Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

CoronavirusTestingHospitalityLatest News

Pubs and restaurants forced to close as teams isolate

by Personnel Today 1 Jul 2021
by Personnel Today 1 Jul 2021 Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

The UK’s current surge in Covid infections is causing businesses in the hospitality sector to close down with entire teams of workers sent home to isolate after getting notifications on the NHS app.

Restaurants, pubs and bars have called on the government to quickly create a “test and release” scheme that would allow them to stay open.

With the daily number of infections now above 20,000, businesses are under pressure as staff have to remain at home for 10 days if one tests positive for Covid 19.

According to chief executive of UK Hospitality Kate Nicholls the trade body has been engaging with ministers for a fortnight over changing the rules.

Covid latest

Furlough wind down could spark redundancies

Hospitality wages rise 14% to lure temps

Dangers of furlough withdrawal are spelt out

Post-Brexit recruitment realities

She wrote on Twitter: “Being contacted by lots of businesses reporting blanket notifications of entire teams, meaning no option but to fully close for 10 days with no revenue. We urgently need a test-to-release-and-test-to-remain approach to allow hospitality to continue operating.”

Nicholls added: “We have called for urgent clarification of isolation policy to reflect the enormous success of its vaccine rollout. Following a positive case, the current NHS test and trace system issues a blanket notice to anyone registered as working at a venue, regardless of whether they were on shift at the same time, in which section of the venue they work, or their vaccination status.

“This forces already struggling hospitality businesses to shut their doors, and can result in whole teams needing to self-isolate.”

A better approach, she said, would be to extend the “test to remain” system for vaccinated staff used in schools to hospitality.

Chairman of bar and restaurant group Loungers Alex Reilly, which has more than 140 outlets in the UK, tweeted that many businesses would in effect be forced into a new lockdown unless the rules were changed.

“Asking whole teams of people who don’t have Covid to isolate for 10 days will very quickly result in a lockdown of hospitality in all but name. We can’t go on like this – urgent action is required,” he stated.

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Browse more human resources jobs

 

Personnel Today

previous post
Fighting fat: how occupational health can help tackle obesity
next post
Half of UK ‘living in pain’, survey finds

You may also like

Young people are less work-ready, say employers

7 May 2025

Five years on: how has work changed since...

12 Mar 2025

Ramadan in the workplace: top tips for employers

21 Feb 2025

Hospital porter who refused to wear mask fairly...

2 Jan 2025

RSPH urging at risk to get vaccinated as...

6 Dec 2024

CPD activities: Learning from the experiences of working...

5 Dec 2024

CPD: Exploring the experiences of working from home...

5 Dec 2024

Delivering occupational health policies in prisons during the...

2 Sep 2024

BA’s associative discrimination appeal dismissed by EAT

16 Aug 2024

Who will be eligible for NHS covid jabs...

2 Aug 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+