Nan Spowart talks to some of the staff affected by the hospitality crisis

Sarah Jane Henderson. Runs the restaurant at the Cross Inn, Paxton, in the Scottish Borders which is in Level 2

Due to all this I am having to move out the rented accommodation that I am in because it is too expensive. My husband died a few years ago and I have some savings which are rapidly decreasing but because I have some savings I can’t get help with anything.

When the lockdown happened first, I was really worried but I just thought this will be it; we have got to pull together and get through it.

But now it is increasingly worse because you literally don’t know what is going to happen from day-to-day.

It is hard to work out the tiers and going to the government websites is like swimming through treacle.

We are just on the Border and so near Berwick-upon-Tweed that we have to know what is going on there. It would be easier if the tiers were the same in both countries.

From tomorrow we are in Level 2 but that is an actual joke because this is the most beautiful little pub and it is in the middle of nowhere.

We will be able to serve food and drink inside until 8pm but in Berwick they were able to keep serving until 10pm.

If someone wants to go out then they are just going to go into Berwick even though they would prefer to come here.

There were 10 full-time and part-time jobs here and now we are down to five.

We are a small pub that has the best reviews but you can’t just keep staff hanging on.

If they don’t do something rapidly it is going to be terrible. There are no pubs round here that are open. It is completely wrecking the industry and people’s lives.

What about Christmas? I have grandchildren – what is going to happen to them?

Hospitality is a massive industry and you have to be a certain sort of person to work in it. You do have to be skilled. You might not be a dentist or a doctor but there is a skill in dealing with people and especially at this time you need those sort of people. You have to cheer customers on and give them a nice time because life is so awful at the moment.

Lily Maclean, 29, general manager of Ox and Finch in Glasgow

I have worked in hospitality since I was 16 and I have never been in a position where my job is so uncertain as it is now.

As the manager, my worry is having to make redundancies. We have been able to keep staff on throughout the main period and it is frustrating that we could be in a position now where they might not be supported. Being in Level 3 lands us in no man’s land because by not fully closing the premises or allowing us to trade meaningfully I feel they have created a situation where hospitality workers are the least protected. I am thankful we are a restaurant and able to serve food but I feel really bad for pubs that have been told to open and serve soft drinks. That’s bonkers.

Because we are not legally required to close we have been left in limbo and it does not feel great to be in that situation. The new job support scheme gives 66.7% of our wages from the Government instead of 80%.

That does not seem like a massive jump but it is. It is a question of whether businesses can make enough money to sustain the employers’ contribution and, if we are only open during the day with no alcohol sales, the business is in a tight spot to pay the top-up to nearly 90 people. So that is the main concern.

We had a meeting about it this week and as a business it would be far better off to be closed for three or four weeks than these smaller restrictions every couple of weeks.

I don’t think prospects are good for hospitality. I am worried about Christmas because that is when a lot of businesses make their money for the rest of the winter.

If we are able to strike a bit of a balance where we are still protecting the NHS but able to support the people that work in hospitality that would be better.

I understand hospitality must be part of the reason why there is such a surge in cases but if people don’t get to a restaurant or bar they find other ways to socialise.

We spent weeks and months trying to perfect the system to keep everyone safe.

We didn’t have any positive cases and it is frustrating when you go to those lengths to protect people and you end up being the scapegoat.

Sandy Browning, 29, head chef at Ka Pao, Glasgow, which just opened in January then had to close in March for the lockdown

I worry about my job and everyone’s around me. This all feels hugely unfair. Being in Level 3 and only being able to open till 6pm without selling any alcohol is going to be difficult. Alcohol is worth 35% of our revenue.

It is a big take and the majority of our money comes from evening service.

With the new system we have had hardly any notice and it is a lot of work to try and get everyone sorted.

There are over 80 staff members and the aim is to find a way to get everyone hours.

It is such a tough time of year that we don’t want to let anyone go but there are going to be a lot of redundancies because of this.

The job support scheme is a lot more suited to the tier system down in England and it feels a bit political to have a different tier to someone else. The support scheme is built to support that system and to make a different one creates a bit of a loophole. We are not forced to close just now but if we were it might be a bit easier.

Our boss is trying to make sure everyone does 20% of their hours so they qualify for the new job support scheme but we are missing out on tips which is a huge part of full-time workers’ income.

Our tips are spread evenly between everyone and come to about an extra £400 a month. It is a huge amount. Our boss is trying hard to not make redundancies but everyone is scared.

The issue with drinking is that people will still find a way and this almost pushes people to have parties at home now. It is being taken out of a controlled area and putting it into people’s houses.

I understand it is not easy but taking away the booze part is extremely unfair compared with other parts of the UK.You can still drink there and the job support scheme works a lot better for them because they are still open at night and can do a good trade.

I understand that making these decisions is difficult but it feels like it is being piled on top of hospitality more than any other industry.

All staff members wear masks and the tables and seats are wiped down before and after use.

We have had thousands of customers since we re-opened and have not had an outbreak.