Chesterfield pubs react to Government's 'drastic action' on coronavirus

Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised people yesterday to avoid gatherings and crowded places, including pubs, clubs and theatres.

But he fell short of demanding an immediate shutdown, which Douglas Daniels, of The Market Pub in Chesterfield, said placed he and other landlords in a ‘difficult situation’.

“The Government has said ‘avoid pubs and crowded places’. However, we are still expected to carry on as normal!” Mr Daniels said.

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“A lot of hospitality businesses have interruption to business insurance, but this will not be honoured until the Government orders a shutdown.

“In failing to do this, the Government is directly responsible for the spread of this virus and ultimately any resulting death. It is difficult to know what to do.

“I am waiting for updates today and will meet with my staff tomorrow to decide how to proceed.”

Staff at The Chesterfield Arms said on Facebook they were ‘absolutely devastated’ after ‘Boris' bombshell’.

“This is going to cripple the pub and brewing industry, no doubt about it,” the pub posted.

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“For the time being, it's still business as usual. Our team will continue to put safety first for our customers and ourselves.”

At The Pig and Pump, on St Mary’s Gate, staff said their ‘overriding aim’ was ‘to support our customers without jeopardising the health and safety of our staff and the general public’.

“We have put in place plans to ensure the continuity of our service and are actively monitoring the ongoing situation,” the pub posted.

“Our current assessment is that it’s business as usual, but should this change, we will update you.”

Mark Aisthorpe, of the Bull's Head, at Holymoorside, said: “Having given the last four years of my life to building my business it is heartbreaking to see the impact of this virus.

“At the moment we are still open but we have reduced our operational hours, it is very difficult to know where we will be in a few days.

“Our priority is the health of our customers and staff. We are also exploring how we can help the wider community. Longer term we are going to need help from Government to recover.”

Other pubs in the area are making changes to their opening hours and cancelling events.

The Barley Mow, at Wingerworth, revealed its quiz night was cancelled until further notice and the hours it serves food would be reduced.

“We really appreciate all your support during these times and we are doing our utmost to remain open as much as possible while retaining a safe environment for all,” the pub said

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins said he was ‘deeply concerned’ by the ‘mixed messaging’ around pubs.

“Many suspect that this ambiguity is deliberately being done to protect the insurance industry from huge payouts,” he said.

“If the medical advice is that we should not visit pubs then I support people following that advice, but the industry must be supported or we will see truly catastrophic levels of business failures and redundancies.”