Café owners in Harrogate have told The Stray Ferret that they won’t be enforcing the new face coverings rule as it should be a “mark of respect” from the customer.
Guidance was released today about the wearing of face coverings, which saw a change for businesses offering a takeaway service.
The new guidelines state that coverings will be mandatory when buying takeaway food and drink but can be removed when seated at a table. However, the government has outlined that it is the responsibility of the individual to wear a face covering, with shops and cafés encouraged to enforce the rule where possible.
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- Police say fines are a last minute resort for not wearing a face covering
- Police Federation say face coverings are impossible to enforce
The owners of Bean and Bud on Commercial Street in Harrogate said that the new rules are “common sense”. Co-owner Helen Dolby told The Stray Ferret:
“If you’re coming in for a takeaway and there’s other customers around you, then as a mark of respect you should wear a mask but we wouldn’t enforce it. We deal with hundreds of customers a day, people just need to have a bit of common sense and a bit of respect.”
Owners of Bean and Bud, Phil and Helen Dolby.
Similarly, Dan Bell, the owner of Thug Sandwich Company on Albert Street, told The Stray Ferret that he believes the procedures he already has in place are enough but will follow guidelines and enforce the rule.
He said:
No plans for district theatres to move performances outdoors“People who are coming in are literally here for less than 60 seconds, they place their order and then they stand outside and I give them a shout when it’s ready. There’s very little risk of infection.
Despite being allowed to move plays and performances outside as of Monday, theatres across the district have said it isn’t possible right now.
Yesterday the government announced that outdoor performances can take place with socially distanced audiences from July 11. However, theatre groups across the district have said it would not be possible due to cost and rehearsal time.
The Ripon Amateur Operatic Society is hoping to start rehearsals for its upcoming production of Chicago but says that an outdoor production wouldn’t be feasible.
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Phill Ruddy, director and choreographer for the society said:
“I think it’s a bit wider than the time needed and cost, we don’t have places in Harrogate where we could do open air performances. We are charities and we can’t spend twenty grand on an outdoor venue.”
The Ripon Amateur Operatic Society was due to perform Oliver at Harrogate Theatre back in April.
Similarly, the Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society has suspended all its performances with no set date to reopen. However, the president of the society Ruth Dodsworth said it is considering doing a ghost walk but everything is up in the air.
She said:
How Harrogate cafés will cope with track and trace“We would like to do something if possible in order to keep everyone interested and aware that things are still going ahead. We would like to do outdoor productions but it is such a long process.”
A number of cafés in Harrogate have come up with different ways to take customer details as part of the track and trace system.
The track and trace system involves making a record of staff and customer details so they can be contacted if they have come into contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.
Restaurants, bars and cafés have been advised by the government to collect details of those customers who dine in. Customers can choose whether to give their information but are encouraged to do so to help track the spread.
Outside LMDC Espresso Bar on John Street.
Read more:
- What to expect as pubs and restaurants reopen
- A number of pubs across the district will not be opening this weekend
LMDC Espresso Bar on John Street in Harrogate will take the name and contact number of one member of each party as they order and the details will be kept for 21 days, then destroyed.
Similarly, Slingsby’s on Tower Street will be taking the details of everyone who sits in the café. Andrew Ford, the owner of Slingsby’s told The Stray Ferret that it will be difficult because he can’t make people do it. He said:
“We will put books and pencils on every table and every guest will be asked to put their name, contact number and the date they were in. Every day I will take them off and file them. Pens will be wiped with sanitiser after every use.”
Slingsby’s are getting ready to reopen table service tomorrow.
However Phil and Helen Dolby, owners of Bean and Bud on Commercial Street argue that most of their customers don’t stay for more than 15 minutes. They said:
Easing lockdown: residents in Harrogate express their concerns on the new government advice“I think out of respect for the customers it is a dilemma and it is the one think we haven’t settled on.”
Residents in Harrogate have expressed concern about the confusing advice in the government’s changes to lockdown rules, after reports of rising numbers of people and cars on the streets.
Harrogate resident Paul Dutton said he worried that people who were already feeling more relaxed about restrictions would be encouraged to go even further in disregarding social distancing.
“I could see in the last week the roads were getting busier, there were more people out and about. We’ve been told not to go out unless we needed to. This will open the gates even further.
“I think people will push the boundaries, go to the coast, visit the sites of Yorkshire, take picnics and barbecues, walking through the fields. We just need to stay how we are.”
With his wife working as a GP in Leeds and his youngest son home from university, Mr Dutton said the family has been living as separately as possible within the house in order to reduce the risk of contamination. If people begin mixing again, he fears the family’s hard work to stay safe will be undone by another spike in cases which could bring it into their home through his wife’s work, no matter how careful they are.
Need for childcare
As a former Harrogate Grammar School teacher, he said he feels sorry for schools trying to find ways to meet the need for childcare if parents are pressured into returning to work. Suggestions of smaller class sizes would help with social distancing, but would be impractical for schools to implement, he said.
“If you are going to invite six or seven students back, which are they going to be? Are you going to rotate it? Are schools able to staff it in that way? It’s a huge conundrum. how do you resolve that? I really wouldn’t want to be in that situation now. I just feel if we waited another couple of weeks to see how the situation panned out, we could phase it in a different way.”
Social distancing will be almost impossible in schools, according to former teacher Paul Dutton
His concerns were echoed by Andy Johnson, a health and safety advisor mainly working on film and television projects, who said he has only had one job since the lockdown began. Not expecting his work to re-start properly until at least September, he is now offering his services to businesses which are looking at ways to re-open safely. However, as a widowed father with a teenage son at home in Harrogate, he is nervous about the risks of going into workplaces:
“It would depend on each individual case. If I was asked to go into a closed factory and do a risk assessment prior to it re-opening, as long as I could maintain social distancing, wear barriers, do my job and get out, I would be reasonably happy to do that. But not while people are working there.”
Mr Johnson said the “viral load” was a critical factor. People who come into contact with several people who have the virus on more than one occasion seem to become more seriously ill, he said, which meant opening workplaces and encouraging more travel could lead to a rise in the number of severe cases and deaths.
Lack of PPE
As a community first responder, he works alongside some paramedics and emergency medical technicians who also volunteer in their spare time. He said two of them are now suffering with coronavirus symptoms, including one admitted to hospital:
“They had what they thought was adequate protection. They think they’re safe, but they haven’t been safe. How can you ensure in a workplace that it’s safe? Chances are, you can’t. All you can do is what’s reasonable in the circumstances.”
However, with PPE in high demand, he questioned whether people going out to work would be able to find adequate protection for themselves, and whether workplaces could provide it for employees.