Coronavirus: UK pub trade fear 'catastrophic' Covid-19 closures would destroy industry
WORRIED pub owners are facing their darkest hour as the industry braces itself for ‘catastrophic’ closures amid the coronavirus crisis.
Boozers across the Portsmouth area have revealed the mounting sense of dread over whether or not they will survive the pandemic.
It comes as pubs in the Republic of Ireland were forced to shut up shop as the country’s government attempted to slow the pandemic.
Colin Johnson, managing director of Southern Counties Taverns, runs eight pubs across Portsmouth, Fareham, Farlington, Rowner and Bognor, and feared forced closures would be ‘devastating’.
‘The impact of this will be catastrophic. It may be the end of licensed premises as we know it,’ Mr Johnson warned.
‘This is by far the worst time for the pub industry. We survived the 2008 recession. This is starting to make that look easy.’
Portsmouth recorded its first confirmed case of Covid-19 – the deadly viral disease that has killed more than 6,500 worldwide and 35 in the UK – on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hampshire is Britain’s most infected region outside London, with 53 confirmed cases of the illness.
Despite this, Curtis Jones, deputy manager of the Wine Vaults, in Albert Road, said city pubs were trying to put on a brave face and insisted it remained ‘business as usual’ - for now.
He said pubs had no idea how long a quarantine might last and added: ‘We’re all a bit uncertain as to which direction the country is heading in and what it’s going to look like. Everyone is on edge about it.
‘Realistically, it’s about staying open and putting that smile on and making sure our customers feel as relaxed as possible, given the state of the emergency that we’re facing.’
Mr Johnson, who has worked in the pub trade for 35 years, said he was already preparing to temporarily close his outlets - potentially as early as next week.
He urged for the government to put a halt on business rates, if closures were demanded, and called on industry bodies to back payment holidays for pubs to limit the damage done.
‘Pubs are still going to have overheads but if every man, woman and dog is trying to get money from us - when we’re closed for weeks - it could send the industry out of business,’ he added.
Councillor Steve Pitt, deputy leader of Portsmouth City Council, was a publican for more than 30 years and feared the city’s entire cultural scene could be under threat.
He said: ‘So many people could be impacted by this. Pubs are part of a network of businesses that depend on the cultural economy.’
Portsmouth council boss Gerald Vernon-Jackson said authorities across the UK were lobbying the government for urgent measures to help businesses survive the pandemic.
He added: ‘The government has a responsibility to look after businesses. If businesses are going to be hit very hard by the coronavirus there needs to be support in place to help them.
‘We don’t want our pubs, theatres and concert venues to go out of business - that would be an appalling legacy.’