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Pubs, cafes and shops face ‘catastrophic’ threat of going bust as Brits are told to avoid socialising

Daniel Jones, Consumer Editor

Published: 23:18, 16 Mar 2020
Updated: 10:41, 17 Mar 2020

PUBS, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, shops and music venues fear going bust after Brits were advised to avoid socialising, calling the shutdown “catastrophic”.

Boris Johnson stopped short of ordering them to shut but many will close “to do the right thing” or due to a lack of customers.

Pubs across the country are facing the treat of going bust as the UK goes into 'shutdown'Credit: Cavendish Press

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It means mums will celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday with children at home rather than in a pub or restaurant.

Many also expect the UK to follow other European countries and officially shut them by the end of the week.

UKHospitality, which represents pubs, coffee shops, nightclubs and other leisure venues, claimed that the Government had “shut down the hospitality industry without any support”.

'LEFT THE INDUSTRY IN LIMBO'

Chief executive Kate Nicholls added: “This is catastrophic for businesses and jobs.

“This announcement will lead to thousands of businesses closing their doors for good, and hundreds of thousands of job losses.

“Over the past few weeks, the industry has suffered unprecedented drops in visits and many businesses are already on their knees.

A Wetherspoon pub in Whitehall was closed for deep cleaning following the Coronavirus outbreakCredit: London News Pictures

The Lyric Theatre in London shut its doors today after Boris Johnson's statementCredit: PA:Press Association

A Nike store in Kent also closed as fears grew over the spread of the diseaseCredit: PA:Press Association

Regent Street was likewise deserted as Boris Johnson announced stringent new measuresCredit: BackGrid

Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre has been cancelled until further noticeCredit: Rex Features

"This latest advice leaves the industry in limbo, with no recourse to insurance.

“The Government must act now to stop them going under and protect people’s jobs.

"These venues play a unique role as community hubs and it is in all our interests to protect and preserve them so they are still there once we emerge from this crisis.

“We need immediate support from the Government, and business continuity measures.”

Bosses at the big pub chains were last night in discussions with each other on what to do.

One executive said: “We aren’t totally sure what the new rules mean and how it affects us.