Pubs and cafes could be given “fast track approval” to serve food and drinks outside and larger supermarkets may be allowed to open for longer than six hours on Sundays to help reboot the economy, it has been suggested.
The proposed changes come after experts raised concerns of “mass unemployment” throughout much of the UK should strict lockdown measures be continued.
According to the Mirror, Government departments are being asked to “identify the things they need to keep services going” and changes that would “free up the economy and get business moving again” once recovery begins.
As part of these changes, pubs, cafes, and restaurants would be allowed to serve customers outside, in gardens and on terraces. It is understood that this could include scrapping council fees for premises that want to set up temporary seating areas on pavements, as well as banning traffic on some highstreets to create large outdoor pedestrianised areas.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Government could lift strict Sunday trading rules, which would enable large supermarkets to stay open for longer than six hours on a Sunday.
Welcoming the news, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Director General Adam Marshall said: “Businesses need to be given every possible opportunity to start to generate sales again. If there are rules that can be relaxed to give more companies a fighting chance to trade their way through this crisis without compromising safety, ministers should do everything in their power to make it happen.”
Those against the idea, however, suggest lifting the rules could impact small businesses who are already struggling to survive.
Under current guidance, all non-essential retail shops will be allowed to reopen from 15 June, followed by cafes and restaurants in July, providing each business carries out a transmission risk assessment and takes action to prevent the spread of the virus.
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