Scottish hospitality in ‘never ending hell’

A trade body has criticised the Scottish government’s decision to delay lifting lockdown restrictions, calling the situation a “never ending hell”.

The Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) condemned the government announcement that there are unlikely to be changes to Scotland’s lockdown levels until 19 July.

Scotland was supposed to see ‘freedom day’ on 28 June, whereby all restrictions would be lifted and the entire country moved to lockdown level zero.

However, Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon stated yesterday (15 June) that the lockdown lift would be delayed.

In yesterday’s announcement, Sturgeon said: “It is reasonable to indicate now that it is unlikely that any part of the country will move down a level from 28 June.

“It’s more likely we will opt to maintain restrictions for a further three weeks from 28 June and use that time to vaccinate with both doses as many more people as possible.”

Stephen Montgomery, spokesperson for SHG, is demanding “proper financial support” for the hospitality sector following the news.

He said: “There are two things we want from the Scottish government that they can do right now. The first is to get out from behind their desks to understand how better policy decisions can work for everyone.

“The second is to make sure there’s proper financial support for businesses that can’t trade viably through no fault of their own.”

Earlier this month, SHG slammed the Scottish governments’ decision to keep parts of Scotland under level two restrictions, when the country was supposed to be moved to level one.

Most of Scotland is currently placed at level one, yet cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee remain at level two.

‘Never ending hell’

“This is a never ending hell for hospitality workers and the businesses that employ them, especially those in the music and night-time sectors,” Montgomery continued.

“Now is the right time to revisit the practical suggestions we put forward several times at the government’s request, such as tweaking the tiers so it’s easier for responsible businesses to trade viably while still protecting people’s health.”

The news follows UK prime minister Boris Johnson announcement earlier this week that there will be a month-long delay to the lifting of all restrictions in England.

UK Hospitality recently reported a current vacancy rate across the hospitality sector of 9% in the UK.

Montgomery commented: “[Businesses trading viably] is especially important because the whole sector is facing a recruitment crisis – putting another brake on our recovery.

“A first step would be to base decisions more on hospital data than cases, as these clearly tell a different story.

“We don’t shut down society and the economy every winter because of the flu.”

UK Hospitality said hospitality sector sales remain down by 42%, with the industry losing £87 billion (US$122bn) in sales.

Sturgeon will reveal the findings of a substantial review of restrictions during an update to the Scottish Parliament on 22 June.