‘We thought we’d be shut for two weeks – we never realised how bad it would be’: How Covid shook West Midlands pubs and cafes to the core
It was sudden. One day pubs and restaurants were operating as normal, the next they were closed indefinitely as Covid closed in.
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The pandemic was a once-in-a-lifetime event which affected everyone in some way, shape or form and left an impact on different industries which are still being felt now.
Within the food and drink industry, the impact was almost immediate, with the UK Government taking the drastic steps to close all pubs, bars and restaurants, as well as cafes and other non-essential premises on March 20, 2020, as a response to the rising threat.
While shops that sold alcohol, such as supermarkets and off-licences, as well as farm shops, were able to remain open, due to being designated as "essential services", the lockdown saw the two industries effectively ground to a halt for nearly four months.
The pandemic resulted in a significant economic impact, especially in the hospitality sector, due to a decline in tourism and leisure activities and the public being urged to stay at home to reduce the spread of Covid-19 during lockdowns.
Apart from the controversial Eat Out to Help Out scheme, a scheme which many experts said may have caused a further spread of the virus and led to the winter lockdown, the industry did not begin to revive fully until April 2021, with a gradual reopening of venues and the majority of restrictions being lifted on July 19.
The restrictions up to that date had seen groups of six or two households of any size able to meet inside, with groups of 30 allowed outside, and people had to order, eat and drink while seated in places where alcohol is served, while social distancing was encouraged and capacity limits were in place.
The impact of the pandemic was particularly felt by venues such as the Royal Oak pub in Chapel Ash in Wolverhampton and at Canalside Farm, Shop & Cafe in Great Haywood in Stafford, both of which found themselves forced to close their doors to the public on March 20, 2020.
Terry Cole, who is the co-licensee at the Royal Oak with his wife Emma, said the announcement by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been a shock, but he hadn't expected lockdown to last as long as it did.
