Guidance for restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaways - Step 4 guidance from 19 July July 2021

Step 4 guidance from 19 July

Guidance for restaurants, pubs,
     bars and takeaways

          July 2021

This guidance is produced to help businesses in the hospitality sector operate safely and keep
staff, customers and the wider community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measures are recommended be practised in addition to any other legislative or regulatory
frameworks that apply to the business, e.g. food hygiene, health and safety or licensing legislation.
Businesses that want to check the legal status of their activities in relation to such legislation, e.g.
the Food Safety Act 1990 or Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 etc., should ask for their own
independent legal advice.

Working safely
The first steps to becoming COVID-19 secure is to ensure safer working practices are in place and this
is recommended to businesses.
     1. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment
             • It is a legal requirement for any business with 5 or more employees to ensure they
                  have a written risk assessment in place. For further assistance on completing risk
                  assessments, please refer to the guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive.
     2. Cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures
             • Encourage frequent cleaning and handwashing within the workplace with further
                  attention on areas where frequent touch is made.
             • Providing hand washing facilities or hand sanitisers at multiple locations including
                  entry, exit, washrooms for customers and staff.
     3. Face coverings - this will be a personal choice for staff and members of the public. However,
        it is strongly recommended to encourage your staff and customers to wear face coverings.
     4. Encourage people work from home as possible.
             • Ensure that staff who are unwell do not attend work and must stay at home. Including
                  workers who have been notified to self-isolate through the NHS Test and Trace
                  system.
     5. Although social distancing is no longer a legal requirement from 19th July, it is best practice
        to implement social distancing to minimise risk of transmission. Businesses may also
        implement the following:
             • Using screens/barriers to separate people from each other
             • Using back-to-back or side-to-side working as opposed to face-to-face whenever
                  possible

Helping with NHS Test and Trace
To help the NHS Test and Trace programme and contain any outbreaks or clusters:
   6. Keep a temporary record of all your customers/visitors as well as your staff shift patterns for
       21 days.

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7. Display an official NHS QR code poster to allow customers and visitors to ‘check in’ using this
     option. Official QR codes can be generated online.
  8. Individuals who do not have a smartphone or the NHS COVID-19 app to provide their contact
     details can record their information through booking systems. For example, through table
     reservations either online or over the phone.
  9. If you feel there is still a rise in cases despite action being taken or due to the number of
     people testing positive, employers should also contact London Coronavirus Response Cell
     (LCRC), Public Health England to report the suspected outbreak by emailing
     LCRC@phe.gov.uk or calling 0300 303 0450. The LCRC will:
         • undertake a risk assessment
         • provide public health advice
         • where necessary, establish a multi-agency incident management team to manage the
             outbreak.

Getting your business ready
  10. It is best practice to have a clear guidance on maintaining hygiene and safety for your staff,
      customers and visitors. You may communicate this through:
           • Your website/social media
           • Prior emailing your customers/visitors
           • On arrival at your premises use clear signage, social distancing markings, posters and
               stickers.
  11. You may have a reservation system, allocated timeslot or online ordering so people can avoid
      queuing.
  12. Using signage to inform customers of your guidance.
  13. Review your incident and emergency procedures and consider whether you have enough
      trained staff to keep people safe.

Keeping your customers and visitors safe
  14. Encourage customers to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser upon entry to venues by
      installing multiple hand sanitiser dispensers or hand washing facilities around the premises.
  15. Venues hosting performances may consider performances to take place outdoors wherever
      possible.

Protecting your staff
  16. Prevent overcrowding in the workplace through staggering arrival/departure and break
      times for workers.
  17. Encourage staff to wear face coverings when speaking to customers. Workplaces may use
      screens/barriers at till areas when serving customers.

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18. You may consider minimising access to certain areas of the premises. For example, only
      allowing one employee at any time to access walk-in pantries, fridges and freezers.

Managing service of food and drink at a venue
  19. Look into ways movement within the premises can be reduced. For example, customers
      ordering food/drinks through an app at the table instead of staff approaching customers for
      orders in order to minimise contact between staff and customers.
  20. Encourage the use of contactless transactions to minimise contact between staff and
      customers by taking contactless payments to avoid handling cash/card readers and opting to
      send electronic receipts instead of printing them, where and if possible.
  21. Encourage customers to order online, on apps or over the phone for takeaways to reduce
      queues.

Customer toilets
  22. Ensure adequate handwashing facilities including running water, liquid soap and suitable
      drying facilities.
  23. Consider making hand sanitiser available on entry where safe and practical.
  24. Keep the facilities well ventilated. For example, by fixing doors and ensuring more frequent
      waste rubbish collection.

Cleaning and hygiene
  25. Ensure hygiene practices in place for everyone with clear signage promoting frequent hand
      washing, avoid touching faces, hand sanitisers upon entry/exit to the premises, entry of
      toilets and multiple areas in the premises.
  26. Provide additional hand sanitisers in multiple locations where appropriate.
  27. You are encouraged to have procedures in place for frequent cleaning of objects, equipment,
      surfaces and areas between uses with further attention on areas where frequent touch
      contact is made (e.g. door handles, tills, counters, toilets and items between each customer
      use e.g. menus).
  28. Staff should engage in frequent hand washing especially before and after handling plates,
      cutlery, etc. with bins for collections of used overalls and towels.
  29. Ensure there is good ventilation and circulation of air in the premises by:
          • Opening doors (except fire doors) and windows where possible
          • Ceiling/desk fans
          • Air conditioning.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  30. Encourage staff of venues that provide food and drink wear face coverings in areas where
      they come or are likely to come within close contact of a member of the public.

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31. You may also consider creating a physical barrier or screen between workers and members
       of the public.
   32. Businesses should try and encourage customers to take reasonable steps to protect the
       public. For example, through social media, signage in store.

Useful links
Current official guidance can be found at:

   33. Government guidance on working safely during the pandemic
   34. Government guidance on restaurants, pubs, bar and takeaway services
   35. Health and Safety Executive guidance for employers and businesses
   36. Health and Safety Executive guidance on air conditioning and ventilation
   37. Government guidance for employees
   38. Government guidance for food businesses
   39. Chartered Institute of Environmental Health general guidance including safe shopping,
       providing food takeaway and deliveries, signage resources
   40. Government guidance on cleaning for non-healthcare settings
   41. UK Hospitality COVID19 guidelines for hospitality businesses
   42. Staying COVID-19 secure in 2020 poster
   43. Government guidance on maintaining records to support NHS Test and Trace
   44. Create a coronavirus NHS QR code for your venue
   45. COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021 (Summary) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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