New Operating Restrictions
The Government has announced that with effect from 24 September, businesses selling food or drink (including cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants), social clubs, casinos, bowling alleys, amusement arcades (and other indoor leisure centres or facilities), funfairs, theme parks, adventure parks and activities, and bingo halls, must be closed between 10pm and 5am. This will include takeaways but delivery services can continue after 10pm.
Therefore, no customers must remain on the premises after 10pm. This includes any external seating area to be used by the premises. Premises may continue operating a delivery-only business, where licensed to do so.
The following restrictions will now be in place:
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Customers can only visit in groups of up to 6 people (unless they are visiting as a household or support bubble which is larger than 6). Check with customers on arrival who they are with and how many people will be attending. Put up signs to remind customers to only interact with their group. You must also not accept bookings for groups larger than 6 unless the above exceptions apply. These limitations are commonly referred to as ‘The Rule of 6”.
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Take steps to ensure groups are from a single household or support bubble in line with the current local lockdown restrictions in place for Manchester.
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Table Service only. Food and drink must be ordered from, and served at, a table. Customers must not be permitted to stand or be served at the bar. This does not apply to takeaways.
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Keep groups apart. Customer groups must not be allowed to mix. Space out tables, consider using barriers between groups, and manage the number of customers in the venue.
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Maintain social distancing. Configure indoor and outdoor seating and tables to maintain social distancing guidelines (2m, or 1m with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable) between customers of different households or support bubbles.
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Requirement for face coverings for staff and customers. Members of the public must wear a face covering (unless exempt such as because of an underlying health condition) in hospitality businesses including bars, pubs, restaurants, theatres, as well as hotel bars and restaurants, and members clubs except when sat at a table to eat or drink. Staff in businesses including shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, public houses, cinemas, bingo halls, casinos and theatres must wear face coverings when they are in close proximity to members of the public unless they are exempt or have a reasonable excuse. Find out information on wearing face coverings.
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Manage food and drink service safely. Avoid contact between staff and guests.
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Lower music and other background noise. Prevent shouting, singing and dancing in the venue by making sure music and broadcasts are played at a low volume.
Failure to do any of these requirements may result in fixed penalty fines.
Please refer to the Government Guidance on working safely during Coronavirus for full details relevant to operating your business.
FAQs on what you can and can’t do
Test and Trace requirements
Hospitality venues must now have a system in place to request and record contact details of their customers, visitors and staff to support the NHS Test and Trace system.
You must by law:
- Ask at least 1 member of every party (which must be no more than 6 persons) who visit your premises to provide their contact details to assist NHS Test and Trace. Refuse entry to those who refuse to provide contact details.
- Have a system in place to ensure that you can collect that information from your customers and visitors, and provide this data to NHS Test and Trace, if it is requested. Check what data you need to collect and how it should be managed.
- Keep a record of all staff working on your premises and shift times on a given day and their contact details.
- Display an official NHS QR code poster from 24 September 2020, so that customers and visitors can ‘check-in’ using this option on the new NHS Test and Trace app as an alternative to providing their contact details.
Official NHS QR posters can be generated online.
Failure to do any of these requirements will result in fixed penalty fines.
How to create a QR code poster for your venue
Recording customer information
When recording customer information, the following information must be requested:
- the name of the individual;
- a telephone number on which the individual may be contacted;
- an e-mail address if the individual is unable to provide a telephone number;
- a postal address if the individual is unable to provide an email address;
- the date and time that the individual entered the relevant premises;
- where the individual is a member of a group seeking permission to enter your premises together, the number of people in that group (including any member of the group that has scanned a QR Code when seeking to enter).
If the details are incomplete or you have reason to believe they are inaccurate, then you should consider that the information has not been provided and entry should refused.
The information must be kept securely for 21 days and then disposed of as soon as you reasonably can, unless there is a lawful basis to retain it.
Further information
This bulletin has been sent out in advance of the publication of the regulations related to the changes announced on 22 September. A further updated bulletin will be sent to inform you of any new information arising from the regulations.
You can find other useful information relevant to this bulletin at:
Manchester City Council's Coronavirus information for businesses and employers
Regulations for the collection of contact details
Regulations for The Rule of 6, no mixing of groups, and social distancing
Regulations for the wearing of face coverings
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