Industry must commit to track and trace, warns UK Hospitality

The hospitality industry has been urged to commit to track and trace schemes after a Sky News investigation found pubs and bars ignoring government guidance in areas with rising cases.

Trade body UK Hospitality reiterated the importance of businesses playing their part, but said a survey of its members found nine out of 10 operators are taking appropriate measures to record customer visits.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “It is critical that pubs comply with the government’s guidance on test and trace and our research shows the vast majority are doing so.

“Safety of customers and staff is paramount and to not comply potentially puts us at risk of a spike and another lockdown. Nobody wants that, given the awful commercial impacts of the initial lockdown. We need to get this right at the first time of trying, and that includes implementing test and trace initiatives to keep people safe."

The warning comes after undercover Sky News reporters found nine out of 10 pubs visited in a Greater Manchester suburb were not asking for customer contact details.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham told Sky News he was "really disappointed" and warned that pubs would need to "get their houses in order".

However, Nicholls said a 10-day tour of the country saw “every venue I visited” take track and trace seriously, either entering details manually or via online booking or an app.

“The industry is working hard to keep our teams and customers safe,” she said.