SCOTLAND’S hospitality sector has called the tighter restrictions on bars and restaurants imposed last week “nonsensical”. They also claim that rather than contain or reduce the spread of Covid-19, it will have the opposite effect.

Publicans say the earlier 10pm closing time for bars will lead customers to leave regulated premises to carry on their drinking in house parties and thus risk a greater spread of Covid-19.

That is the viewpoint of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association which believes it is being picked on unfairly.

The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) managing director Colin Wilkinson said: “The SLTA and industry recognise the need to support the Government and manage the risk of increasing infection rates, but we are concerned that the curtailing of opening hours of our pubs and bars, will only lead to increased non-compliance in other areas such as households, an area which the First Minister identified as a key driver.

“It must surely be safer to be in the heavily regulated and controlled environment of our pubs, bars and restaurants.”

The licensed trade is increasingly worried that, having spent heavily to comply with previous regulations, a loss in earnings from the earlier closing times will tip their industry over the edge.

Wilkinson added: “Research shows that the industry has spent around £15 million on training and implementing social-distancing measures across the entire sector to re-open and rebuild consumer confidence.

“For many this will be the final nail in the coffin, particularly for operators in the late-night economy and those providing for the younger market for which these measures are effectively a lockdown.

“The previously introduced six- person-two-household rule knocked customer confidence and this announcement will only dent it further.

“The industry is struggling to survive and operators will question why further restrictions are being focused on our pubs, bars and restaurants.”

The SLTA also believes that the statistics do not back up the contention that bars and restaurants are the spreading grounds for the virus.

Wilkinson added: “Only 4.6% of outbreaks in England are related to hospitality venues. One in 10 pubs in England already operates with some form of curfew, yet the R rate is still increasing. Many will fail to understand why these new restrictions for the industry are being introduced.

“The SLTA has asked the Scottish Government to provide information on the R rate stemming from the Scottish pub, bar and restaurant sector.”

As things stand, Wilkinson believes that only a bail-out will save his industry. He added: “With these further restrictions coming into place, the UK and Scottish Governments must now act by providing a sector-specific comprehensive package of support for those most in need to ensure the survival of all sub-sectors of the licensed trade industry.

The licensed trade’s cri de coeur was echoed by club-owners for whom the situation is even graver as they continue to be forced to keep their doors closed.

Mike Grieve, managing director of the Sub Club in Glasgow and chair of the Night Time Association Industries Scotland, bemoaned: “This is another devastating blow for our beleaguered sector.

“We absolutely respect the need for public health to be the No 1 priority but these measures don’t make sense. The evidence is clear. The main transmission mechanism is in the home – not the hospitality settings.

“With more onerous restrictions already in place in Scotland’s pubs and restaurants, it’s difficult to understand why this sector is attracting so much of the focus.

“As the only country in the world with a complete ban on music. Scotland’s worldwide reputation for atmosphere in our bars, restaurants and venues is already threatened with extinction.

“We predict that these latest restrictions will drive more people behind closed doors for unregulated illegal gatherings and crowded house parties. Meanwhile our sector is left abandoned.”

And again he reiterated the view that while hospitality is being singled out then the only way to make up the shortfall is with a financial injection.

He added: “At the very least, the Scottish Government should be engaging with us to examine every possible avenue for additional financial support for our businesses, and to ramp up the pressure on UK Government to extend the Job Retention Scheme for our sector.”

Donald MacLeod, founder of The Garage has reacted to the changed times by repurposing his nightclub to turn it into the outdoor Electric Gardens and is looking to re-open on Wednesday from 4pm-10pm.

But he is worried how long he will be allowed to operate like this.

“The bitterest irony and pill to swallow would be if we open on Wednesday and then two weeks later we’re shut down on a circuit breaker lockdown,” he said.

He acknowledged that the 10pm deadline is an attempt to reduce the amount of time that people are spending in pubs.”

But he said: “It’s got to be 10pm for what? Is it that the virus only comes out after 10pm? That’s ridiculous. Most of the money is spent after 10pm so they’re taking that away.

“What this is doing is conditioning people not to go out. Why are they having all these Cobra meetings so that they can drive this circuit breaker lockdown in when the half-term comes in in Scotland.

MacLeod does not believe nightclubs will re-open in the near future, though he cites Sweden and Germany as countries where they are operating .

“In Sweden they didn’t lock down, there’s dancing. In Germany, the same – the virus hasn’t gone any faster or higher.”

He is also angry too that music is still not being allowed in bars.

He added: “We are making ourselves look stupid around the world. [The Government] is treating us with contempt in banning background music.

“They are point-blankly refusing to accept the science that is there that it doesn’t spread the virus.

“That people with alcohol... just because there’s music being played they’re not going to behave more stupidly or dangerously. It’s absolute crackers and don’t tell me that Scotland knows better than the rest of the world, because they don’t.”