Covid-19: hospitality and culture criticize new restrictions in force in London
Passers-by stroll through Carnaby Street in London on December 15, 2020. AP - Matt Dunham
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2 min
London and several regions in the south-east of England have now moved to level 3, the highest alert level to once again attempt to curb a rise in Covid-19 cases.
The hasty decision taken by the government earlier this week once again means many closures and restrictions and has caused dismay in the hospitality and culture sectors.
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With our correspondent in London,
Muriel Delcroix
The screed that has just fallen on London ten days before Christmas coincided with the publication of the latest unemployment figures, and the picture is very dark with 819,000 job cuts since February, a third of which in the hotel industry.
From where the big anger of the leaders of the sector who blasted a passage “
sudden and irresponsible
”
to level 3
which could finish companies already on their knees.
"
These restaurateurs spent just a few days ago hundreds of thousands of euros to be ready to reopen, they stocked up, bought food, thinking that they could continue working during Christmas,"
explains the president. from UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls.
They are now going to have to throw away a lot of these things and things like beer.
With the closure of hospitality during the most profitable period of the year, the London economy will see 2.7 billion euros vanish
… ”
The hospitality industry as well as the arts and culture sector are calling for emergency government help and warning that turning the capital into a ghost town on Christmas will lead to a huge wave of closures and more unemployed people.
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