Hospitality welcomes lifting of Plan B rules in England

Covid passes and work from home guidance will be scrapped in England this month as the prime minister announced the lifting of Plan B restrictions.

Nightclubs and large venues will still have the option to use the NHS Covid pass voluntarily if they choose but they will no longer be compulsory from 27 January.

Advice to work from home is being lifted on 19 January and from 20 January face masks will no longer be mandatory, meaning people will not be criminalised if they choose not to wear one, but the government will continue to recommend their use in enclosed spaces.

There will still be a legal requirement for people to self-isolate if they test positive for coronavirus, but from Monday this will reduce to a minimum period of five full days with two negative tests.

However, Boris Johnson said there would “soon be a time” when self-isolation guidance may be removed entirely. The current regulations expire on 24 March, after which he said he “very much expect[s] not to renew them”.

Despite the changes, Johnson urged people to “remain cautious” during the last few weeks of winter as “the pandemic is not over”.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said the news meant businesses could begin their “revival and recovery” after losing out on Christmas trade.

Nicholls added: “We now urge Government to consider removing existing restrictions on international travel so that the sector can play its full part in the nation’s economic recovery and so we can look forward to a prosperous and jubilant 2022."

Juliet Price, consultant executive director for the Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA), said: “At last the shackles are off. We know from our agency and venue members that millions of pounds worth of event bookings have been held up with contracts waiting to be signed once the Plan B restrictions were lifted. This should give the industry’s recovery the boost that it needs and give everyone the confidence to book live events and meet in-person.”

Ronan Harte, chief executive of BaxterStorey, said he was optimistic the hospitality industry could now get “back to business” but warned the sector still faced major staffing challenges.

“So many have left our sector, relocating back to their home countries or moving into other sectors altogether, which has continued to be a huge hit to our industry,” said Harte.

In Scotland some restrictions on hospitality businesses will be dropped from 24 January, although work from guidance is to remain in place and Covid passes will still be required for late-night venues and large events.

Wales is to lift restrictions on hospitality by the end of January if coronavirus cases continue to fall, but Covid passes will still be required for nightclubs.

Northern Ireland still has restrictions on hospitality venues and nightclubs remain closed.