Pubs hoping to reopen this month as breweries ‘set to deliver 250 million pints of beer’

3 June 2020, 07:57

A 'secret blueprint' reportedly shows how pubs could reopen with social distancing rules by the end of the month.

There are new hopes that pubs could re-open earlier than planned, as breweries have ramped up production on kegs of beer.

According to The Sun, 250 million pints of beer will be delivered to pubs from June 15, as landlords get ready to open their doors in the next few weeks.

But things are set to look very different when punters do return, as new government guidelines include a Wetherspoon-style app ordering system and tables at least two metres apart.

The plan, drawn up by ministers in the Department for Business, has reportedly been seen by The Sun and will ban people from queuing at the bar and implement strict social distancing rules.

But while other European countries are urging their pubs to use screens between tables, apparently this is not on the cards for those in the UK.

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According to the publication, pubs with outdoor beer gardens could also be the first to open as part of a two-stage process.

Under current plans, pubs, hotels and restaurants will remain closed until at least July 4, but Boris Johnson recently revealed this could soon change.

Addressing the public and his Commons liaison committee last week, he suggested that experts are very close to a solution which will see the reopening of pubs.

Boris Johnson hopes to reopen pubs 'as fast as we can'

He said: “We may be able to do things faster than I thought.

"It is really difficult to bring forward hospitality measures in a way that involves social distancing.

"But I am much more optimistic about that than I was. We may be able to do things faster than I previously thought."

Members of the hospitality industry are now calling for a reduction in the two-metre social distancing rule to allow them to restart their businesses.

This comes after Wetherspoon's said it will spend an initial £11 million making its 875 pubs Covid-19 secure, including screens at bars and tables.

The popular chain said each pub will hire two full-time workers to regularly clean surfaces and touch-points throughout, with more employed in larger pubs.

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