UK urged to avoid pubs and restaurants by PM

Boris Johnson has told the UK to “avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues” as he announced a series of measures to control the coronavirus that will pile more pressure on the hospitality industry.

The news comes after a day where listed operators took a battering, with Marston’s and The Restaurant Group suffering falls of 44% and 46% respectively.

And the latest data from Wireless Social showed unprecedented drops in footfall on Sunday, with a 52% fall in Liverpool, a 47% drop in London and a 37% fall in Manchester.

UK Hospitality repeated its calls for the government to announce specific cuts and subsidies to ease the resulting pressure on the hospitality sector.

“These are exceptional circumstances and we need exceptional support from the Government immediately,” said CEO Kate Nicholls.

“There can be no half measures during this crisis. Otherwise, we could be looking at potentially hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in hospitality and significant and structural business distress.

”The job losses have started and will build considerably over the next four-to-six weeks, without state intervention.”