The Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) has slammed the Scottish government’s new financial support package for business that was announced on Friday as being woefully inadequate because it won’t see the trade through if further restrictions are imposed, while labelling the new five-tier system ‘unnecessarily complex.’
SHG spokesman Stephen Montgomery said, “The new financial support package, while welcome, is the equivalent of being abandoned at sea with only a lifejacket. We cannot survive if the intention is to impose these restrictions indefinitely. More levels are just another example of an unnecessarily complex system that leaves both businesses and the public confused.”
Coming into force on Monday 2nd November, under the five tiers hospitality venues would be forced to close at level three while they would be banned from serving customers indoors or have severely restricted opening hours at level two.
Stephen has also repeatedly called for the government to work together with trade to find a solution based on ‘tangible evidence’ rather than ‘absurd guesswork.’
He said, “The hospitality industry is still left bearing the brunt with no scientific, statistical, or medical evidence for these restrictions. We are tired of hearing the numbers ‘may’ or ‘might’ or ‘could’ be impacted by our ongoing economic ‘sacrifices’. It seems ludicrous it is too early to see the effect on case numbers for hospitality yet current measures on household gatherings are determined as having an impact.
“Between July and September our members have served more than 1.8 million customers with only 17 confirmed cases, demonstrating Scotland’s bars and restaurants offer a far safer environment where people can be sure all possible precautions have been taken to look after them properly. We have repeatedly called on the government to work with us on a solution – we now need confidence that ministers are making decisions and putting measures in place based on tangible evidence rather than absurd guesswork.”
