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Pubs Could Spread Tables Outside as U.K. Weighs Rule Change

Pubs Could Spread More Tables Outside as U.K. Weighs Rule Change

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. is considering relaxing rules on the use of sidewalks so shops and pubs can spread outside, enabling them to recover faster after the coronavirus lockdown.

The rules could even be waived to allow companies to use street space as well as local parks, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified talking about incomplete plans.

The discussions come as ministers try to get the economy firing again after restrictions to control the pandemic caused U.K. output to decline by a fifth in April and the OECD to say it may be one of the worst hit developed nations.

Non-essential shops opened on Monday, and pubs, cafes and restaurants are slated to restart as early as July 4. Britons should “shop with confidence,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday.

But for the hospitality sector, the current 2-meter (6 feet, 7 inches) social distancing rule makes it hard to re-open in a profitable way. The British Beer & Pub Association estimates just a third of pubs will be able to reopen under the regulation, but if the distance is cut to a meter, 75% would be able to do so.

‘A Shot in the Arm’

“Government’s got to really throw the kitchen sink at easing regulation and allowing businesses to branch out and use space, which after all is a public good,” Mel Stride, chairman of Parliament’s Treasury Committee, said on Monday in an interview. He said it would give businesses “a shot in the arm.”

Shops and pubs typically have to ensure there’s 1.8 meters of clear sidewalk between displays or tables and the edge of the road.

Relaxation of the rule would allow cafes, restaurants and pubs to spread tables across more space outdoors, where transmission of the virus is lower. It would also help them serve more clients even if social distancing guidance isn’t relaxed.

“We continue to examine all the options to revitalize our high streets” and plans will be published “shortly,” Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told the House of Commons on Monday. “I want to spark a vibrant cafe culture to support hospitality businesses and make it easier for them to operate outdoors, with seating and tables for temporary markets set up, and for the streets to be temporarily pedestrianized.”

While Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has said the advice to stay 2-meters apart will stay as long as the virus is present, the government -- which isn’t obliged to implement the advice of its scientific advisers -- is reviewing the measure. The review will take a matter of weeks, Business Minister Paul Scully told BBC radio on Monday.

Stride said it would be difficult for pubs to break even at 2 meters of social distancing, and they might increase their take to 70% of normal if the distance rule was reduced to 1 meter.

At this level, pubs may just break even, and allowing more flexibility in the use of outdoor space will be key, he said. “If we don’t do things like this, there are going to be masses of wonderful places that we all love and enjoy and celebrate, that are going to disappear.”

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