BUSINESSES in Glasgow are “intensely frustrated” after the city was left stuck in level three of Scotland’s coronavirus restrictions today.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared that Scotland’s biggest city has “not yet turned a corner” in the battle to suppress rising case numbers of coronavirus, believed to be driven by the so-called Indian variant.
Glasgow will remain in level three for at least another week, meaning hospitality outlets are still unable to serve alcohol in indoor areas.
However, Moray will move into level two after making progress in driving down infections, and East Renfrewshire will remain in the same position, despite a rise in cases per capita.
Andrew McRae, Scotland policy chair at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Many local businesses in Moray will breathe a sigh of relief that they’re finally allowed to trade in the same way as much of the rest of the country. And smaller firms in East Renfrewshire will be happy that they’re not going to face new restrictions at a moment’s notice.
“The situation in Glasgow is excruciating for the city’s hospitality and tourism industry. From next week, Scotland’s largest city will be the only place in the UK where pubs and restaurants won’t be able to serve alcohol indoors. Understandably, business owners and their customers are intensely frustrated.
“While we want to see new financial support for Glaswegian operators, especially those that took on new staff for re-opening, we must also see the Scottish Government investigate whether a new approach is required for the city. If the virus has not been brought under control while Glasgow businesses have faced almost nine months of restrictions, then surely the problem lies elsewhere.”
Meanwhile, fellow trade bodies the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) and UKHospitality said they had met Ms Sturgeon, and new tourism minister Ivan McKee, to discuss the implications for business of Glasgow remaining stuck in level three.
In a statement, the trade bodies said they asked ministers why the Scottish Government has taken a blanket approach to restrictions, instead of pursuing a targeted, postcode-based approach to manage rising cases.
Financial support for businesses affected was also high on the agenda.
Marc Crothall, chief executive of the STA, said: “We talked at length about the financial support required for the sector and were pleased that there was the acknowledgement that more support beyond the restart loans, the value of which has been lost due to the current circumstances is being considered.”
"We raised the point around the timing of announcements and understand why decisions were taken so late last week and that if decisions had been taken earlier this week, East Renfrewshire may have been moved back to Level 3. We look forward to continuing our constructive dialogue with the Scottish Government over the coming weeks in particular with Ivan McKee who has confirmed a meeting with the STA next Wednesday.”
Leon Thompson, the new executive director for Scotland at UKHospitality said: “Today’s constructive meeting with the First Minister and Mr McKee allowed for a complete picture of the challenges faced by the hospitality sector to be presented.
“UKHospitality Scotland will continue to work with the new administration, with the first step a further meeting with Mr McKee next week to discuss support from the Scottish Government.
"Our sector, like no other, continues to be adversely impacted by restrictions. A clear and early demonstration of the Scottish Government’s commitment to hospitality is vital.”
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