Pub patrols and drinks ordered by app: The new normal for the hospitality sector?

Ordering pints on a phone app and having social distancing enforced by patrols could be the norm for the hospitality sector as lockdown measures continue to be eased.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce next week on how pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels can reopen in England from 4 July.

According to a report in The Times, guidance for the hospitality sector includes having drinks ordered using phone apps and not setting restaurant tables in advance.

Room service in hotels would also be left outside doors.

It comes as the government reviews the social distancing guideline that tells people to stay at least two metres away from each other to limit the spread of the virus.

The review is expected to conclude next week and any easing would have an impact on prospects for the hospitality sector and for schools.

Social distancing affects how many people can sit in a restaurant or pub and how many pupils can be in a classroom.

The PM has said he wants all children back at school in September, when children in Northern Ireland will also be returning, after their social distancing was cut to one metre.

It comes after the government downgraded the COVID-19 alert level for the UK from four to three, suggesting transmission of the virus is no longer high or spreading at an exponential rate.

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The UK’s chief medical officers said the move was recommended by the Joint Biosecurity Centre after a “steady decrease” in COVID-19 cases in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The coronavirus reproduction rate – known as the R number – remains unchanged at 0.7 to 0.9 in the UK, meeting the government’s target of keeping it below 1.0.

The PM said lowering the alert level allowed ministers to “start making some progress” on social distancing measures.

Also on Friday, the government promised £1bn to help pupils catch up, with many not having been in the classroom since March.

But head teachers said they had not been consulted about the scheme, which will provide funding for tutors for some of England’s most disadvantaged children.

In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced plans to end its five-mile restriction on travel next month and allow holidaymakers to return a week later.

(c) Sky News 2020: Pub patrols and drinks ordered by app: The new normal for the hospitality sector?