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(Alliance News) - JD Wetherspoon PLC on Friday said it will revert to "successful measures" put in place after the first national lockdown in July 2020, with most restrictions in England set to be lifted on Monday.
The pub chain said these measures included retaining floor screens between tables in pubs and till-surround screens, along with increased cleaning and hand sanitizers at entrances and at various locations.
Wetherspoon will maintain internal capacity in pubs at the current levels, limiting the numbers of customers to the number of seats. It will also continue to prop open internal doors, including main doors to lavatories to minimise contact points.
The Watford-based firm said face masks will be made available for employees and customers and employees will be able to wear them at their discretion, but group sizes will not be limited to six, as per current guidelines.
In addition, the NHS Test & Trace system, or paper forms, will be retained for customers who wish to record visits, on a "voluntary basis".
Chair Tim Martin said: "When pubs reopened after the first lockdown, in July last year, a sensible set of measures, as outlined above, was agreed between the hospitality industry, the health authorities and other interested parties, which kept transmission in hospitality venues at low levels. Wetherspoon had over 50 million customer visits, recorded through the Test & Trace system, in the second half of 2020 without a single reported example of an "outbreak" among customers, as defined by the health authorities.
"While risks from Covid-19 cannot be eliminated completely, we believe that the July 2020 guidelines are a sensible backstop for the industry and strike a fair balance between health, employment and the economy.
"It is hoped that arbitrary and capricious government rules, which have been a regular feature in recent months, such as the requirement for substantial meals, curfews and table service, which have no scientific provenance, can be avoided in future. These sorts of rules damage the economy, are extraordinarily difficult for pub staff to implement and are invariably regarded by customers as absurd."
The stock closed up 1.1% at 1,074.00 pence on Friday.
By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com
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