Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, said he is “desperately worried” about the future of the UK’s night time economy.
He made the comments after the government confirmed that restaurants, pubs and bars in England will need to close at 10pm from Thursday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to make a television address to the nation tonight following a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases around the country.
The speech, which will take place at 8pm this evening (September 22), is expected to cover new Government measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Mr Lord said the “cat and mouse game” of encouraging customers into establishments and “blaming and punishing them for surges” is harmful both economically and mentally.
He said: “If we really want to stop the infection spreading, these draconian restrictions are not the answer.
“Only five per cent of outbreaks in England [in week 37] were caused by hospitality venues and this is testament to the measures they have strived to put in place.
“Closing pubs and bars earlier will only serve to encourage more house parties and outdoor gatherings, we’ve already seen this as students begin to return to cities across the UK, and it’s unthinkable that this has not been considered as an inevitable outcome of these curfews.”
Mr Lord called for mass testing of both the symptomatic and asymptomatic and for greater financial aid for operators to reduce capacities and maintain social distancing.
He continued: “Whole parts of our economy will sadly not come through this wave of restrictions without further help.
“In hospitality alone, there are 900,000 workers still on furlough, and without a continuation of Government support, it’s highly likely that a significant majority of these individuals will not have jobs to return to.
“What we need now is a confirmed action plan of how the Government will be supporting these businesses during this time.
“We knew this was coming, and we knew furlough would end at the same time that a second wave would hit.We have been calling for more support for months, and there will be no excuse for a lack of preparation.”
