On Saturday 4 July, many pubs, bars and restaurants in the Borough will reopen to the public for the first time since 20 March.
The Broxbourne Community Safety Partnership is taking the opportunity to remind residents to enjoy themselves but to be sensible.
Public Health and Environmental Health officials have been working closely with business owners and managers to ensure that they have conducted the required risk assessments and that their businesses are ‘COVID-19 secure’.
Being COVID-19 secure means that measures have been put in place to help protect members of the public and staff to minimise the risk of transmission of coronavirus. This may include screens between seating areas, table service and cashless transactions. Businesses may display a ‘COVID-19 secure’ certificate at their premises to provide added reassurance to visitors that they have considered the safety aspects of reopening during this time.
Councillor Siobhan Monaghan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Community said:
We know that many people will be looking forward to going out this coming weekend. We urge you to have fun, but to have fun responsibly.
Please do not use the reopening of facilities as an excuse to drink to excess and put unnecessary pressure on our local emergency services. And remember, social distancing measures are still in place to protect you. Businesses will do what they can to reduce the risk to the public but it is down to individuals to keep themselves as safe as they can.
This pandemic is not over and we all need to keep that in mind.
Chief Superintendant Richard Liversidge, Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Local Policing Commander, said:
Our local teams have been working with Council licensing officers and licensed premises ahead of this weekend and further easing of restrictions to support the safe reopening of pubs, bars and restaurants that have been closed since the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis.
Of course, we want people to have a good time and enjoy themselves, but we must all remember that coronavirus is still a serious risk to health and I urge everyone to continue to follow the Government guidance to mitigate the transmission of the virus, through social distancing, hygiene measures and following the instructions of staff at licensed premises.
While the vast majority of people will drink responsibly, some will drink to excess and become vulnerable to harm or indeed cause harm to others. I’d ask licensees and customers to remain vigilant and work together to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.
Anti-social and criminal behaviour is not acceptable and Hertfordshire Constabulary is working to support the safe and crime-free reopening of pubs. Please, know your limits, plan your day and consider how you will get home safely.
Marcus Bailey, Chief Operating Officer at East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:
As an ambulance trust we are always planning ahead and risk assessing.
With pubs and restaurants reopening, there is clearly potential for increased callouts and we are asking the public to drink responsibly and respect the guidelines put in place by businesses and the government, such as social distancing and regular hand washing
We have put in place contingencies to deal with the increased activity but are hopeful they will not be needed and our staff will be left to deal with urgent cases.
The safety of our patients and staff is of paramount importance to us and we hope the public will enjoy themselves safely and sensibly.
Many hospitality businesses will be keeping a temporary record (for 21 days) of their visitors in order to support the NHS Track and Trace programme. This will help to contain the spread of the virus in the event of a localised outbreak. All people visiting establishments are asked to provide their contact information if asked to do so.
For more information on the measures being implemented by hospitality businesses, please visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus.