Hospitality welcomes relaxation of self isolation guidelines

Those aged under 18 will also be exempt from the advice to isolate for 10 days if they are pinged by the NHS app or contacted by the Test and Trace service. Double-jabbed app users identified as close contacts of someone with Covid will be advised to take a free NHS PCR test – and they must isolate if that comes back positive.

Kevin Georgel, St Austell Brewery CEO, has welcomed the change but says the hospitality sector is still under pressure from the threat of people having to self isolate.

“We welcome the changes to the Test & Trace app and rules around self-isolation from the 16 August, which will help to alleviate some pressures on hospitality businesses and their staff. The ‘pingdemic’ has had a huge impact on the recovery of our sector at a critical time,” says Georgel.
 
“However, in the South West our business is facing a unique challenge as we have many visitors to the area in these peak summer months, combined with a largely young workforce, many of whom will not be double vaccinated by 16 August. This means pressures on our staff are set to continue if younger members of the team continue to have to self-isolate when ‘pinged’.
 
“If recent changes to the app do not bring about the desired shift in the severity of the ‘pingdemic’, then it is crucial that the Government explores other options. Along with much of the industry, we would fully support a ‘test and release’ system that would allow our younger employees to carry on working.”

The pingdemic caused such huge staff shortages – leading to empty shop shelves and cancelled trains – that the government had to exempt key workers from the rules, including those in the food industry and working on public transport. In the week to July 21, a record 689,313 people in England and Wales were told to isolate.

During its peak, UKHospitality estimated one in five of the sector workforce were self-isolating.