Rules for pubs

[cissyandbessy]

Rule of 6 in pubs - confused!

Sorry pressed send too soon, my question is if anyone understands exactly what Rule of 6 in pubs means? So can any 6 people meet and go to a pub as long as they sit apart from the next table of 6? And they no longer have to belong to a household? The guidelines still say if we do this we should socially distance from each other (within the group of 6?) - but I don't understand how we can do this inside a pub on a table for 6? Feeling fed up and very confused having spent half the day trying to understand the guidelines and with a pub to re-open very soon! Anyone got a grip on it properly?

You can't go in a group of more than 6 people.

I think the government know that a lot of people going for dinner with friends and family aren't necessarily socially distancing, so to mitigate this have just made it a lower number. You can go with as many households as you like (so theoretically 5 other households) as long as there's just six of you.

Legally, it means that only tables of six (from up to six different households) are allowed and you are supposed to be a metre apart from each other. In reality, pubs haven’t been enforcing any of it and aren’t likely to start because they know it’s all ridiculous. And let’s face it, if you are happy to socialise in a pub then you aren’t likely to be particularly worried about Covid in the first place.

If you run a pub and are genuinely concerned about how it’s all going to work and be enforced then my advice would be to just not open, because once you do, the majority of your customers will do their own thing despite your best laid plans. I’ve been going to pubs since the day they re-opened and with the exception of most customers following one-way systems, you’d never know any difference.

So can any 6 people meet and go to a pub as long as they sit apart from the next table of 6?
Yes.

One of our local pubs is saying that 6 people can sit outside, but only 6 people in up to two households can sit in doors

So i think it can vary

Sorry this is a huge generalisation. I have a pub in a student town. We opened late August and our biggest problem is say groups of students who say they are one household we can’t disprove that. Then groups of middle aged men/women who claim to be 2 households. Could be same sex partners so again we can’t disprove. We are doing everything by the book but more often than not we are stood there with customers lying to our face and nothing we can do. I worry about my staff and my safety and would father follow the rules but customer deception is high

Thanks all, I think I'm just trying to work out how to follow the rules but just when I think it was all about 'households' it's changed. And sitting 1 meter apart from individuals in the groups you came with doesn't seem doable in a pub setting. And yes the issue of how to ask people if they are from same households when this concept means nothing for students for example means people would obviously lie is an issue - which admittedly has now gone away as it's no longer the criteria. Do you all believe it's possible to do it 100% safely when the groups of 6 have already decided to mingle - not opening at this point isn't really an option any longer. Am just nervous and obviously don't want to be the cause of the spread of this or illness in the customers.

In reality and practically no. We have a minimum of a meter between tables but you can’t police how people decide to sit within their own group and more often than not it is right next to each other. The biggest problem we have as I say are the same sex groups where you know it’s a group of pals but what can you do. We have limited our tables to groups of 4 now but again difficult with 4 guys who claim to be 2 households as could be 2 couples but example from my shift yesterday I had just that and then their wives tried to join on another table claiming to be 2 houses. But no if you decide to sit at group once they are sat It’s never a meter apart or safe if not actually same household

Thanks Passthebubbly Yeah was wondering whether to reduce tables down to 4's but this will cause issues as people are being told they can come in groups of 6 and can just see that being unworkable (before we even start getting into financials). It's just grim though and so frustrating that the policy doesn't seem to have been thought through to take into account different scenarios for example student households and provide real clarity.

It's not exactly difficult as of Monday. If you are in England you can have 6 on a table whatever households they happen to belong to (or claim to) but not 7 or more even if one of them is a 2 week old baby.

It's not exactly difficult as of Monday. If you are in England you can have 6 on a table whatever households they happen to belong to (or claim to) but not 7 or more even if one of them is a 2 week old baby

Nobody is going to count a tiny baby.

I don't think babes in arms should be counted, but once they can crawl/bum-shuffle/walk, they should be.

@cologne4711
Any pub that wishes to keep it's licence and ability to trade is going to count a tiny baby...

I am in Scotland so it’s maximum of 6 from 2 households. Many groups of men/women between 4 and 6 in group in the 40-60 age group saying they are 2 households.

@Passthebubbly
Ask them for ID containing address then. There is no reason why the address on the ID of anyone over the age of 23 should have the wrong address on it. In student areas, those of usual university age may well have their parental address on their ID and therefore it would be inappropriate to use ID to determine where such people are living.

That’s exactly what we have decided to do actually as it’s the only way round it.

@RufustheSniggeringReindeer

One of our local pubs is saying that 6 people can sit outside, but only 6 people in up to two households can sit in doors

So i think it can vary

That’s the current guidelines for England. From Monday, it looks like they’ve removed the 2 household limit. Which is odd, but they may not have meant to do that.

Sorry i wasn't clear

The pub intends keeping to the old rules...even after monday

@StatisticalSense

It's not exactly difficult as of Monday. If you are in England you can have 6 on a table whatever households they happen to belong to (or claim to) but not 7 or more even if one of them is a 2 week old baby.

You can have more than 6 if they're all from one household, or one household plus support bubble. They're still allowed to socialise in one group (indoors or outside). Isn't it great that this made everything simpler?

@RufustheSniggeringReindeer

Sorry i wasn't clear

The pub intends keeping to the old rules...even after monday

TBH I can see why they'd do that. Cases are rising, so we've decided to increase the number of households that can meet up indoors isn't a particularly sane policy decision.

No i agree

I think theyve done it because it works and they can’t be arsed to keep up with the rule changes 😀

The updated guidance says this; reconfigure outdoor and outdoor seating to maintain social distancing guidelines (2m or 1m with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable) between customers of different households or support bubbles. For example increasing distance between tables.
I read this to mean we still should be 1m + away from each other on the actual tables given that from Monday the 6 don't have to be from same household/2 households. So it has led to confusion I think as many groups will still want to come as a 6 and be seated that way. But your average size picnic bench should only really have 2 or 4 (if wider) seated at it.

We met up with my BIL's family last week. I phoned in advance asking if we could have two tables outside next to eachother. It's still warm enough to sit outside so if meeting a few from different households, then the best option as you can still spread out.

Most if pubs round here have only been taking bookings for groups of 6 from beginning as per guidelines , i managed to get one to take 7 of us as we were only 2 households and fitted in with previous guidelines
Now law is 6 people ( any households is my understanding ) and your supposed to still socially distance , how sat at a table i do not know and all the pubs i have been to we have sat at a table together , we generally are same 6 though and realise if one of us was to get ill we would prob all have to self isolate if we have gone out for a meal together as nowhere allows is to sit 2 metres apart that i have been too

My understanding is that we should always of been socially distancing ( 2m) from anyone not in your household even when meeting up under the rules with another house hold or as a group of 6
The reality is people haven't been doing this and when eating out most tables aren't big enough for you all to sit 2 m apart