Covid restrictions: Liverpool faces 'ominous winter ahead'

Business owners in Merseyside say they are fearful for the future after the government unveiled a new three-tier lockdown system for England.

The Liverpool City Region has become the first area to enter the "very high" alert level under the new system.

It will mean the closure of pubs, bars, betting shops, gyms, leisure centres and casinos from Wednesday.

Managers have spoken of their heartbreak, anger and confusion over the latest announcement of measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

Gareth Morgan, who runs independent pub Dead Crafty Beer Co in Liverpool city centre, said closing pubs was "devastating" and would "really hurt, if not ruin" the industry.

"So many little bars won't survive without more support," he said.

The 41-year-old, who has five members of staff, said employees needed full compensation when pubs were forced to close.

Mr Morgan added his trade was 58% down on last year's figures after halving capacity in the pub and having to close at 22:00 each night.

In a bid to mitigate the effect of the new rules, the government will pay up to 67% of the wages of workers at firms told to shut.

This will be part of the Job Support Scheme, which replaces furlough at the start of November.

But Mr Morgan said he believed the measures were insufficient for many workers in the hospitality industry.

"Paying workers 67% sounds good but, in reality, for staff to pay bills it is nowhere near enough," he said.

Gym owner Ashley Hughes, from Huyton, Knowsley, said further restrictions were "heartbreaking" as so many people were "already on the brink and living off their overdraft".

"So many businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs and even their homes," he said.

The 33-year-old said gyms had taken a "massive hit" in 2020, the worst of his nine years trading with his company, Bodytorque.

"I got a grant during lockdown but that just about covered the rent during the four months we were shut."

After reopening he found customers were reluctant to return as many were "cutting back" on spending.

He said it was "very worrying" for gyms but also for people's wellbeing as "many people use the gym to improve their mental health".

Keith Haggis, owner of Keith's Food & Wine Bar in Liverpool, said allowing restaurants to remain open with the current restrictions in place was "disastrous".

He said he believed his business would have been better off closed as his staff would be compensated and he may have had access to grants.

Staying open under current restrictions means his only option is to "limp on and survive".

The further restrictions such as limited hours, capacity and restricting people to sit only with people from their households or social bubbles had been a "nightmare" and it had "decimated turnover", he added.

The managing director of Merseyside-based bookmakers Dave Pluck has called on the government to review the tier-three lockdown "sooner than the four weeks stated".

"A large part of the Liverpool area is deprived and needs further help. It seems to me that it is being used as a test case by the government," said Nick Thompson.

"They know they have few votes in the area so maybe they don't mind if they lose those. I could not imagine this level of lockdown taking place in the south."

He has called on the government to provide financial support to businesses in need.

"I can see no science to support local lockdowns being an effective measure at present," he added.

"I am keen to help wherever possible, and will clearly follow any government guidelines, but I would ask that extra financial aid is available."

Despite the difficulties ahead, Mr Thompson added that "as we did in the full lockdown, we will be back".

Julie O'Grady, co-owner of Neptune Brewery, said the latest coronavirus measures for Merseyside had left many unanswered questions.

Ms O'Grady, who runs the company with her husband Les, said: "It's just so frustrating. Nothing seems to make sense.

"We fear for people's heath as well but give us the financial support so we can survive.

"As a brewery we have done everything we possibly can to ensure everyone's safety.

"There are signs up, we have used temperature thermometers when people come in, there is hand gel, we have been taking people's details.

"We have done everything we can and that's still not enough."

Jez Lamb, who founded craft beer marketplace [email protected] in Birkenhead, Wirral, almost 15 years ago, said: "Striking the right balance is proving a nightmare.

"As things stand many more businesses will go to the wall and many more people will lose their jobs," he said.

"Tighter lockdown restrictions could see an economy that is already on life support start to flat-line. An ominous winter lies ahead."

Some pubs had already decided to shut in advance of the prime minister's announcement.

The owners of Ye Cracke, the Pilgrim Pub and the Swan Inn in Liverpool city centre closed on Sunday.

It said in a statement on its Facebook page: "Due to the expected government announcements on Monday we have decided to close this Sunday at 10pm until further notice."

Some of the highest rates of new coronavirus infections have been recorded in the Liverpool City Region.

In the week to 8 October there were nearly 670 positive tests per 100,000 people in Knowsley and almost 599 per 100,000 in Liverpool.

Sefton, St Helens and Halton are all within the top 20 out of 315 areas of England. While Wirral had the lowest rate of the six boroughs that make up the city region, it still recorded 286 cases per 100,000.

When deciding whether to impose local lockdowns, public health experts and the government will take account not just of the rate for each area but also its trend - how quickly cases may be rising or falling - as well as what local plans are in place, hospital admissions and deaths.

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