10/10/2020
Some venues have taken the restrictions in place as a result of COVID-19 seriously; some have been hyper-vigilant.
The there are those who have completely irresponsible, who have enabled significant breaches of the 'rule of six', amongst other things.
Much as I am not a fan of Wetherspoons and, more specifically, the owner of the chain, it appears they have been extremely hot on policing the behaviour of their patrons; stopping tables of six co-mingling and ensuring that customers wear face coverings when not at their tables.
Whilst I have not been in the venue, people that had told me that The Rockhouse in Andover was very much at the other end of the scale, with customers completely ignoring social distancing rules and behaving as you might expect them to have done prior to the pandemic. A recent small outbreak in the town led to criticism and it appears, from what I've been told, that they are now enforcing the rule of six and have adopted table service.
Yesterday, a BBC News item appeared on my feed that, whilst very short on detail, showed an employee filming crowds outside Nico's Bar in Glasgow, watching their TV screens through the windows for a penalty shoot out in the football. This was as a result of it being after 10:00 p.m., meaning that patrons weren't permitted inside.
The individual doing the filming can be heard laughing at the scene of the group of people, huddled together, excitedly watching the football. Only one of the group appeared to have a face covering, which he had actually pulled down so that it wasn't providing any protection to those around him.
As far as I could tell, a significant majority of the people who commented on the video that the venue posted to their Facebook page were highly critical of the staff for not turning the TVs off. Some suggested that it was the attitude of venues like Nico's Bar that have led to the drastic action that has now been taken by Scotland's devolved government.
The venue's response was to, possibly in jest, threaten to bar all those who had commented negatively.
Before actually looking at the Facebook page of Nico's Bar, and reading the comments, I sent a private message to the venue. I wasn't necessarily expecting a response, but the following screenshots outline what they said.
My view is that the venue should be prosecuted for 'enabling' the gathering. They were clearly complicit, at the very least.
I recognise that hospitality venues are being hit hard by this pandemic, especially with the extra restrictions being imposed. Ordinarily, I wouldn't wish for such businesses to face additional financial burdens; such as fines.
However, if business owners cannot operate in a compliant manner and show such disregard for the measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID, they should face the consequences.
The fact that this particular business owner, or their representative, has chosen to be so dismissive of the issues only amplifies the merits of them facing legal action and, if convicted, a potentially large fine.
Comments