“It is still soul destroying” – Sunderland bar and restaurant chiefs react to the second lockdown

Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation yesterday (Saturday, October 31) to announce that England will be going into a second lockdown from Thursday, November 5 until December 2.

Pubs, bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms are set to close across England.

The furlough scheme is to be extended and will see the Government pay 80% towards employee’s wages.

Schools and universities will be kept open throughout this new measure, unlike in the lockdown earlier this year.

Other venues closing include non-essential retail, indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, entertainment venues and personal care facilities.

Pub, bar and restaurant owners across Sunderland will close their doors for the next month, in the hope of being open for Christmas.

Elaine Griffiths, owner of the Stumble Inn said: "The lockdown is not a shock as we have been waiting for something within the hospitality industry for a while due to the tier system, but it is still soul destroying after weeks of trying to trade with strict restrictions and doing everything asked of us.

"I understand and totally agree that people's lives must come first and we've done a lockdown before and we will do it again.

"I just hope the numbers come down by the beginning of December because if lockdown goes into December it will be devastating for the business."

Federico Trulli, owner of Angelo's Ristorante Sunderland said: "We aren’t happy about closing the restaurant again, but we need to do whatever is best to get out of this situation as soon as possible and think about what is best for everyone's safety.

"I don’t think restaurants and bars, who have respected the rules and regulations from day one, are the cause of this second spike but at the end of the day we need to collaborate and try to win this battle.

"I hope everything is going to be OK and that we can all reopen and return to our new normality soon so we can celebrate Christmas and the festive period."

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