Sheer anger and frustration as pubs, restaurants and cafés face new lockdown rules that could kill off any last remaining businesses

The hospitality sector in the West Midlands was thrown into despair at the PM’s announcement of new tier system. The Birmingham hospitality sector feels it is being targeted unfairly by the government.

The shattering impact of the new restrictions on the already fragile hospitality sector in Birmingham was summed up by restaurateur Nitin Solanki, from Aluna Bar in the Mailbox and Siamais Thai restaurant in Brindleyplace, who said “No business can survive the new rules”.

Nitin spoke out after the PM confirmed that Birmingham, along with Sandwell, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Walsall, would be subject to extra restrictions after being classed as "high risk" areas under a new three-tier system. The concerns of Nitin Solanki are echoed throughout the hospitality industry, with the government’s new three-tier system, not only reinforcing the 10pm curfew, but also stopping people (who aren’t from the same household) meeting in hospitality settings. The government’s new approach focuses on segregating areas of the country into either ‘very high’, ‘high’, or ‘medium’ risk categories, based on their rates of transmission, which subsequently, determines the extent of restrictions. With Birmingham placed on ‘high’ risk tier 2, further restrictions apply outside of the hospitality sector, such as the rule of 6 now applying to private gardens.

Nitin said: "It's Armageddon for the hospitality industry. We were down 50 per cent on cashflow in July and with the 10pm curfew we lost an extra 30 per cent - and now if we are compliant with the latest restrictions we will lose even more.

The way our venues are set up, we have lots of larger tables - it's very group friendly. So now realistically, if people are only in twos or fours - we lose an extra 40 per cent in turnover.

Also we can't benefit from the job reduction scheme unless we are fully closed. It's just terrible.”

He added: "I was worried about the furlough scheme ending but now with

these new restrictions the situation to me feels hopeless. "No business could survive."

James Wong’s family run Chinese restaurant, Chung Ying has been open nearly 40 years and started lockdown by providing free meals for NHS workers. After all the strain and expenses of adhering to the coronavirus guidelines over the past few months, including extra training for staff and operating at a reduced capacity, Mr. Wong feels as though the hospitality industry is being unfairly targeted by the government. The infection rate via the hospitality trade locally, is said to be less than 5%, leading many to conclude that this sector, amongst others, is paying the price for other causes of transmission, such as students returning to university.

However, much like others within Birmingham’s hospitality industry, Mr. Wong isn’t giving up without a fight. Local politicians are now facing significant uproar to challenge these new restrictions and to put forward evidence of local statistics, in a desperate bid to save Birmingham’s infamous hospitality industry.

Birmingham Mayor, Andy Street took to Instagram earlier in the week to outline the new restrictions and to express his own surprise at the government’s decision, emphasising the importance of data and evidence in any decision-making process. With Birmingham now residing in the same tier as Manchester – which has an average infection rate of more than 550 per 100,000 – Mr. Street compares Birmingham’s average infection rate of 123 per 100,000.

With the second wave in full swing and a long winter ahead, Labour MPs have suggested the idea of a ‘circuit breaker’ – a short, sharp and, strict lockdown – to curb the increasing rates of transmission. The proposed circuit breaker is thought to be most effective if imposed while schools are shut for half term – which will be a two-week period spanning Halloween and early November. While the benefits of another strict lockdown are undeniable, it begs the question, what would this mean for the economy? And most importantly, what would this mean for Birmingham’s hospitality industry if restaurants, bars and pubs are required to close?

While Birmingham’s hospitality sector will dwindle, it is not the only industry in the city that will fall victim to the new Coronavirus restrictions, and with local statistics contradicting these harsh rules, we will continue to push for more accurate restrictions that are representative of our infection rates.

Anita Champaneri Delicious PR