Northwich bars prepare for new coronavirus restrictions

A 10pm curfew has been announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while there will be no standing at the bar, as hospitality businesses will only be able to operate with table service.

Pubs and bars across town are keen to stay positive as they look to adapt the way they do things yet again in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chris Mundie, owner of the Salty Dog, is waiting to see the details of what the decisions will mean for his venue.

He told the Guardian: “The big issue we have is that there is an announcement of an announcement.

“What [Mr Johnson] says is never what is actually written in the guidance by the time it comes out, and it is hard to know really what we can and cannot do until then.

“The 10pm curfew is what it is and we just have to go along with it. It doesn’t seem to be based on any sort of evidence, I don’t think, but what do I know?

“We will just do what we can to make the best of it. It’s the same as everything else at the moment – you can’t predict how the public will respond – so we are just staying positive and cracking on.”

Joe Wardle, who runs the Salthouse NW, agreed that there is little choice for the bar other than to ‘get on with it’ ahead of the new measures coming into effect.

“There’s nothing else we can do about it really,” he said.

“Like we have done for the past few months since we reopened – we just have to adapt the business model.

“Our priority is to keep customers safe and we will carry on with what we are doing for them. We thank everyone who has come out and supported us since we have come out of lockdown.”

Sarah Jayne Hiorns, landlord at the Salt Barge, is relieved that tougher restrictions have been avoided.

"Anything at the moment is better than a total lockdown,” she said.

"We will work with the new rules as best as we can. We usually close at 11pm on weeknights and 11.30pm at weekends, so people will have to adjust to that.”

The Salt Barge is due to host an outdoor comedy event this weekend, and the start time has been brought forward by 30 minutes to 7.30pm to ensure plenty of time before the 10pm curfew.

Kevin Dewsbury will host Saturday's event

“Measures have been taken to make sure everyone will be safe,” Sarah added.

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“Ordinarily you would want to pack out a venue but we want everyone to be safe, so we have reduced the capacity.”

Find out more about Saturday’s comedy night here.