With pubs, cafes and restaurants set to reopen in Wales on Monday, Welsh Government has now published a full list of guidance for hospitality operators.
The 26 long list of measures has been produced by the Welsh Government following consultation with industry stakeholders and applies to hospitality businesses in Wales resuming service.
It covers everything, from asking for ID, trying to stop pub crawls and whether people can play darts or skittles.
The full 26 measures for hospitality
1. In all premises (other than private dwellings or in holiday or travel accommodation), indoors and outdoors, the maximum number of people that can meet, without a reasonable excuse, is set to four.
This means that up to four people (not including children aged under 11 or a person who is caring for someone participating in such a gathering) from different households can meet – but this should be a maximum not a target.
The only exception is if more than four people live together in one household, in which case there is no maximum if they meet indoors or in any part of regulated premises that is outdoors.
Other than that exception, the intention is that four is an absolute maximum rather than a “target” number and that the maximum number will be strictly enforced.
- A household means a group of people living in the same home. A household can be one person living on their own, flatmates, or a family living in the same home. What is important is that it is always the same people and the same home.
2. All regulated premises must take all reasonable steps to minimise the risk of exposure to the virus including continuing to ensure compliance with Social Distancing requirements and other reasonable mitigations within the venue e.g. implementing mitigations between tables where it is not possible to maintain 2m of space and maximising ventilation.
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Where up to 4 people from different households are sat together at a table, every effort should still be made by the business and the customer to ensure that they maximise distance at the table.
Controlling entry
3. In premises authorised to sell or supply alcohol (e.g. licensed premises) only, there must be a person controlling entry in respect of the sale or supply of food or drink for consumption on the premises.
Controlled entry includes pre-booking wherever possible with details of all members of the group taken as part of the booking and verified on arrival. “Walk-ups” should be kept to a minimum and subject to access through a controlled entry point with provision and verification of names of all members of the group at that point.
4. In all premises keeping records of staff, customers and visitors to support the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect service is mandatory, and the names of all customers or visitors, their telephone numbers, date of visit and arrival time must be collected and retained for 21 days. This can either be done on paper or electronically but should adhere to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
The NHS COVID-19 app complements the above mandatory arrangements on keeping records of staff, customers and visitors, by providing your customers with the fastest way to see if they are at risk from coronavirus. However the NHS COVID-19 app does not substitute this guidance and is not essential or mandated.
ID verification
5. In all premises customers are required to provide verification of their name when filling in contact details. Methods of verification may vary but might for example include drivers licence, bank or credit cards. Particular attention should be given to the details of a household group over 4 (not including any children aged under 11 or a carer of a person in the group), where adult customers will need to provide proof of name and address e.g. an electronic or paper based official document.
Pub crawls
6. As indicated in section 3 above, in all premises authorised to sell or supply alcohol (e.g. licensed premises) there must be a person controlling entry, this must include allocating a limited time period during which customers may stay in the premises, for example a booking period/dwell time of up to 2 hours (120 minutes) for each group.
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It is recognised there is a risk that some customers might book consecutive time slots at, for example, a variety of pubs which could increase the risk of the spread of the virus. There is a responsibility on all customers to keep themselves and others safe but the hospitality sector is encouraged to work together to discourage, for example, “pub crawls” in order to also help keep the sector safe and open.
7. In premises authorised to sell or supply alcohol (e.g. licensed premises), customers must be seated (anywhere other than at a bar) when ordering food or drink, when being served with food and drink, and when consuming food and drink.
Licensed premises are encouraged to use smartphone apps for customers to pay of food to minimise contact between staff and customers. If paying at the counter, social distancing should be maintained. In unlicensed premises customers can order and pay at the counter subject to maintaining social distancing, but should consume food and drink at their table.
8. All premises authorised to sell or supply alcohol (e.g. licensed premises) must stop selling and serving alcohol at 10pm, and be closed (with no members of the public allowed to be on the premises) by 10.20pm. They can continue to provide takeaways and takeaway delivery services beyond 10pm.
However, these services cannot include any alcohol beyond 10pm.
9. All premises must ensure that where people are required to wait to enter the premises that a distance of 2m is maintained except between members of the same household or a carer and the person assisted by the carer.
Face coverings
10. All staff and customers should wear face coverings unless the person is under 11 or has a reasonable excuse not to wear the face covering (e.g. to eat or drink). A face covering can be very simple; it just needs to cover the mouth and nose but advice is provided within the linked guidance. Additional PPE for staff beyond face coverings is not recommended. From a public health perspective, a face shield/visor is not as effective as a face covering.
11. The obligation is on members of the public to adhere to the latest travel restrictions. Whilst businesses are not legally responsible for enforcing these requirements on their customers, they must not help customers break these restrictions. This means not knowingly accepting customers who have travelled to their premises from an area where travel is not permitted.
The obligation is on the individual although a business that encourages a breach may also commit an offence.
12. All businesses must set and display the maximum capacity for the premises and put in place measures for communicating and managing the maximum capacity set.
13. Ensure customers are fully aware of their responsibilities for observing social distancing and all Covid-19 safety measures – using clear signage and other visual communications (e.g. posters or airline style flashcards).
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14. Implement one way systems, where the building (and other legislation – e.g. Equality Act 2010) allows. Outside queues should be managed to ensure they do not cause a risk to individuals, other businesses or additional security risks, for example by introducing queuing systems.
15. Maximise ventilation and enhance airflow by opening windows and propping open internal doors (but not fire doors) where possible.
16. Deploy fixed teams of staff on each shift to reduce interactivity between team members. Set a maximum staff number, or space per staff member, in kitchens to allow for social distancing whilst taking into account the cramped nature of many kitchens.
Encourage new ways of working, adapting shift patterns and menus to significantly reduce the number of people working in kitchens at any one time.
Covid secure monitors
17. Designate a named member or members of staff (depending on number of covers) during all opening hours to monitor Covid-19 hygiene and enforcement of social distancing/safety protocols – acting as ‘Covid Secure Monitors’.
This is an important role in ensuring a Covid secure environment and you should ensure that priority is given to this role and that a responsible member of staff is in place for each shift.
18. Employers should appoint and engage with a staff representative, and trade union representative wherever possible, for all employee related Covid-19 issues.
19. The maximum number of people that can meet outdoors in hospitality premises is the same as indoors and is set to four. This means that up to four people (not including children aged under 11 or the carer of a person involved in the gathering) from different households can meet outdoors in hospitality premises such as beer gardens.
The only exception would be if more than four people live together in one household, in which case there is no maximum.
20. When utilising outdoor spaces, the use of physical coverings, awnings, gazebos or marquees should be implemented in such a way so as to ensure that they are aligned with current public health advice.
The effects of sunlight, wind direction and intensity, social distance and effective handwashing should all be considered.
Specifically, if they are closed on all sides and roof/ceiling they are considered and treated as an internal environment, and if they are open-sided (at least 3 or 4 sides open) they are to be considered and treated as an external environment.
The risk associated with spreading COVID-19 is significantly higher in indoor environments as there is less natural ventilation, so consideration should continue to be given to using marquees as part of the external environment. It is imperative that if marquees or similar are to be used they need to be part of the premises’ risk assessments included in cleaning regimes, and monitored so as to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements https://gov.wales/creating-safer-public-places-coronavirus.
21. At present, given the risks of droplets and aerosol transmission from either the performer(s) or their audience, venues are not permitted to hold live performances, including drama, comedy or music, to take place in front of a live audience.
The restriction on live performances includes DJ acts. See guidance for performances.
TV broadcasts, recorded music and any other approved forms of entertainment throughout the premises should be kept at background level, and dancing and singing should be avoided.
The risk of transmission increases in venues where customers have to raise their voices to be heard. In Wales, fixed numerical limits on levels of sound at source are neither applicable nor supported as measures of the allowable background sound level in venues.
This is because the impact of sound will vary considerably between different venues in terms of their size, position of customers relative to the music source, and overall capacity.
In order to determine a reasonable background sound level, it is advised that a subjective test of holding conversations at social distance 2m is applied.
Conversations should not be strained or difficult to understand with broadcasts taking place.
22. Avoiding shared activities in hospitality venues that would entail people breaching the rules on indoor gatherings e.g. skittles, darts, pool and other ‘pub games’. However each proposed activity can be considered on its own merits.
For example, a quiz maintaining separate groups and complying with the rules on indoor gatherings (for example where each group collects a quiz sheet at the beginning of an evening and submits it at the end of the evening) would not necessarily constitute a gathering and could therefore be permissible.
23. The use of Apps or other communications devices is recommended, to reduce contact with customers, including options for menus, ordering, billing and contactless payment.
24. Access to indoor toilets will be allowed subject to adherence to cleaning and other protocols aimed at protecting staff and customers.
25. All businesses should implement rigorous cleaning and hygiene practices to keep their premises safe from thorough and regular cleaning of high contact touch points, toilets, tables etc throughout the course of the service in line with your risk assessed cleaning regime. Businesses are required to undertake a deep clean before any re-opening after a prolonged period of closure.
26. Each business must have available on site a full risk assessment, prepared in line with the Welsh Government and 海角视频 Hospitality industry guidance which staff have been consulted on.
Businesses should make their Covid-19 risk assessment publicly available for staff, customers and the community and should update their risk assessments in line with the latest guidance.