These new coronavirus rules for pubs, restaurants and beauty salons will soon become law
New coronavirus laws are to come into effect from Friday (18 September), affecting how people eat out and socialise.
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Hide AdThe new rules will apply to pubs, cafes and restaurants, as well as other hospitality businesses and close contact venues, including beauty salons.
What are the new rules?
From 18 September, a change in the law will mean that it will be mandatory for all venues to take your contact details. The new rules will mean customers will have to leave their details when eating or drinking in a pub, cafe or restaurant, but will not apply to those who order to take away.
Until now, providing details to venues has been voluntary, but the change means businesses will now be legally required to request the contact details of every customer and visitor on their premises. As such, it will be mandatory to provide your name, contact number, date of visit and arrival time on entry as of 18 September.
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Hide AdThe new rule is to be detailed in full by the UK government later this week and is expected to apply to beauty salons, tourist attractions and leisure venues, including cinemas, bowling alleys and amusement arcades, as well as food outlets.
Test and Trace
Businesses will be required to keep information for 21 days and provide details to the NHS Test and Trace scheme when asked to do so.
Customers who do not provide details could be refused entry, while venues will be issued with fixed penalties if they fail to comply.
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Hide AdVenues could also face a fine if their premises are not Covid-secure, and this includes taking bookings for groups that exceed more than six people. A record of all staff working on the premises on a given day, along with their contact details, will also be required to be kept by venues.
The change is to assist the Test and Trace scheme in effectively contacting everyone who may have been exposed to the virus in the event of an outbreak, thereby helping to prevent further spread.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said, "NHS Test and Trace is a vital part of the government’s response to fighting coronavirus, designed to help us return to a more normal way of life and reduce the need for local lockdowns in the future.
"The system cannot operate without the cooperation of business. We are now mandating venues collect the necessary contact details and support NHS Test and Trace to stop the spread of the virus."