Clubhouses in England able to reopen from 4 July

Image by Darren Arthur

Following the Prime Minister’s statements yesterday (23 June), further changes were made to lockdown rules that will be introduced next month in England and are of significance to golf clubs and organisations that operate bar or catering facilities.

The headline announcement is that pubs and restaurants will now be able to open from the 4th July as long as they can demonstrate that they are “COVID-19 Safe”.

This includes those within golf clubhouses or other golfing facilities.

In the first instance, a risk assessment should be carried out, the details of which should be shared with your workforce.  For organisations of over 50 employees, this should be published on your website. 

In order to make it more viable for the hospitality industry to open, the Government has given scope to relax the current 2m social distancing rules in certain instances in favour of ‘1m Plus’, which means remaining 1m apart while taking other mitigation to reduce the risk of transmission.

Other measures include: 

• Keeping a temporary record of customers for 21 days to assist with NHS Track and Trace Requests
• Providing clear guidance on arrival of social distancing and hygiene measures in place at the venue
• Utilising contactless payment wherever possible
• Calculating the maximum number of customers it is safe to accommodate taking into account either the 2m social distancing rule or new “1m plus” rule.
• Where PPE is already being used, it should continue to be. However, workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE and risk assessment should reflect the limited role such equipment will play.
• Table service should be offered with a designated server wherever possible. In instances where bar or counter service is unavoidable, customers need to be prevented from remaining at the bar after ordering.

The full guidance is available here and all involved in golf in England should review it as soon as possible so they can begin putting in place the necessary steps to ensure your business can continue to open-up safely.

The document includes practical considerations of how these new rules can be implemented, while being mindful that no two businesses are identical. Everyone is responsible for translating the guidance into the specific actions. Importantly, all will need to monitor measures to make sure they continue to protect customers and workers, so comprehensive checklists are included throughout the guidance to ensure the safety of everyone.

The guidance should be considered alongside local public health and safety requirements and legislation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For advice to businesses in other parts of the UK please see guidance set by the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government, and the Welsh Government.

If you are in doubt as to how this guidance applies to your particular organisation, you should contact your local Trading Standards or Environmental Health, who will have the responsibility for enforcement.

The most up-to-date Government guidance will be available at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.