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30
Nov 2020
Pateley Bridge: no covid cases for 10 days but pubs stay shut
According to government statistics, there has not been a single new covid infection for at least 10 days in Pateley Bridge and nearby Nidd Valley.
Yet it seems many pubs in the Nidderdale town, which were hoping for a pre-Christmas boost after a dire year, are set to stay shut on Wednesday when lockdown ends.
Dan Elliot, general manager of the Royal Oak, sums up the frustration:
The Royal Oak, which has four staff, serves meals so could open. But social distancing guidelines make it pointless, says Mr Elliot.
Read more:
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The pub, which spent £300 putting up plastic screens in the bar and also erected sheltering to encourage customers to go outdoors, is a key part of the community.
Takeaway meals served at weekends during lockdown have been a lifeline to many older people.
It plans to continue selling weekend takeaways as well as providing £8 oven-ready Christmas Day meals.
But nobody knows when it will welcome locals, cyclists and walkers back through its doors — and this isn't easy to accept in a place where there has not been a single new infection for almost two weeks. Mr Elliot says:
Mr Elliot says he isn't aware of any Pateley pubs that are re-opening.
The Stray Ferret asked Julian Smith, whose Skipton and Ripon constituency includes Pateley Bridge, what his message was for small businesses struggling in tier two and whether he supported the government approach. He had not replied by time of publication.
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