Voluntary face masks a ‘welcome step back towards normality’

Making the wearing of face masks voluntary is a “welcome step back towards normality,” according to Kate Nicolls, chief executive of UKHospitality.

Nicholls told MCA’s The Conversation: “Clearly this is about personal customer responsibility and choice. It removes a burden on our staff that we have to enforce at the moment.”

Heyden Mizon, joint managing director of McMullen & Sons, also spoke about choice. “Staff have the opportunity to make the choice, as guests do. They can wear a mask, not wear a mask; there should be no judgement. We won’t be mandating them.

“Some people would like to see people wear masks forever,” he added. “But the overwhelming view when I go round the pubs is that people [staff] and guests prefer not to wear them.”

Nicholls compared the discussion around face masks to that on table service. “Lots of customers like table service, lots of customers don’t. We are very well-versed at making our own decisions as customers. We have had our decision-making taken away for the last 16 months. I think we can trust the British public - when we give it back to them - to make decisions based on their own personal preferences.”

Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK, was also a guest panellist. Responding to a question about whether hospitality venues could become a flashpoint for disagreements, he said: “The UK population has been incredible patient thus far. Relaxing and releasing gradually as the government are hopefully endeavouring to do is the right thing to do. After a while it’s not going to stick and then it becomes unfair for us to police these things.”

Nicholls added: “Avoiding the tension, and the cause of abuse and harassment among our staff, by removing the requirement for us to be the frontline policeman, is incredibly helpful.”