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NTIA REACTION TO PM STATEMENT ON 19TH JULY REOPENING

• 19th Jul 2021

The NTIA comment follows the statement by the Prime Minister this evening on the next phase of restrictions

Michael Kill CEO NTIA Says

“We have been encouraged by much of what the Prime Minister said today about what Government restrictions will look like in the next phase of reopening. The end of social distancing; the end of the rule of six and table service for indoor mixing; no ban on mass events; the removal of the need to scan a QR code to enter venues; and the decision not to introduce COVID status certification – these are all very important steps that we have been campaigning for, because they are the restrictions which have decimated the night time economy over the last sixteen months.”

“We were disappointed again, despite the positive noises, that the Prime Minister did not confirm that reopening would be going ahead on the 19^th of July. As we commented at the time of the last decision on restrictions, one week is simply not enough time for businesses to plan to reopen – and it betrays the sense that the Government doesn’t understand what it takes to reopen a businesses after over a year without trading.” 

“To hear the Prime Minister say that we need to learn to live with this virus is a long overdue step, and will be a relief to our sector. It is difficult to overstate the significance of the impact the pandemic has had on this industry. The Government’s support package has been important but insufficient. After 479 days closed, we now need that counter set to zero so we can start to rebuild.”