Pub industry explains what going for a pint will now be like

In addition, while getting the handpulls cranked and the ale flowing will clearly be a step forward for the industry, there are still many questions and concerns being raised.

One of the first large pub companies out of the blocks to let customers know what to expect was Joseph Holt.

Signs, floor markings and widely-spaced tables will be in place for social distancing, while a new app will be used for ordering and contactless payments encouraged wherever possible.

Hand sanitisers will be laid out around pubs and staff will have personal protective equipment (PPE) available, including face masks and gloves.

Bar staff will only touch the bottom of the glass when pouring and the long-standing tradition of returning empties to the bar will be temporrarily jettisoned, with glasses no longer in use being left on the tables for collection.

Pubs face a number of rules and guidelines, with a “one-metre-plus” set-up on social distancing which reduces the gaps between people from two metres to one providing suitable mitigation is used.

Venues will be offering table service only and they will be expected to take customer details to assist with track and trace.

Some bars will almost certainly introduce booked timeslots for customers, while others will be monitoring and controlling entry and exit to the toilets to minimise the infection risk.

While some large industry organisations hailed the return to work as a great moment for the beleaguered hospitality industry, others are much more guarded in their responses.

The Campaign For Pubs, a grassroots initiative to keep popular watering holes alive, said that while the Government’s news was welcome support would still be required for many venues which simply are unable to comply with the requirements.

Venues are likely to face some difficult calculations as to whether the guidelines set out make their businesses viable or not, the campaign said.

The campaign’s chair Paul Crossman said: “The pub trade can only act in accordance with Government advice and the announcement was necessarily cautious.

“It means that many publicans will need to make a decision as to whether the guidelines will work for their individual business or not.

“For a great many pubs, especially smaller community pubs which generally rely on key periods of high-density trade to be viable, these measures will not make a return to sustainable trade possible.

“We trust the Government will extend the support necessary to allow them to survive and reopen when the time is right.”

There is also considerable unease about the unprecedented demand for data collection in case contact tracers need to get in touch with all those who have come through the doors of a particular pub.

Campaigners are also worried about privacy issues and data use policies with businesses taking their first steps into this area.