Masks will not be mandatory in pubs, clubs and restaurants

The legal requirement to wear a face covering was yesterday extended to cinemas, theatres, concert venues and places of worship, with the exception of those who are performing.

It was already mandatory in shops and on public transport.

Deputy Peter Ferbrache, the president of the Civil Contingencies Authority said he wanted everyone to have a good Christmas.

‘In relation to pubs and clubs we want to keep businesses going as best we can.

‘We want to do practical things so practically we can say in relation to a theatre “wear a mask”, but we can’t practically say that for a pub and a club “you’ve got to wear a mask”.

‘That’s why we’re impressing upon proprietors who run pubs, clubs, restaurants etc that they should be asking at this stage, the duty is upon them to ask their clientèle “have you done a lateral flow test today?”. It’s got to be taken on trust at the moment.

‘I don’t think it’s that difficult for people to ask, okay the restaurateur is limited to what he or she can do, but there’s no harm in asking the question, you’re not being offensive.’

On the issue of office Christmas parties Deputy Ferbrache left it up to companies to make their own call. ‘It depends on the common sense of people. We want people to live life as normally as possible, it must be a judgement for them. I don’t think the States should be saying yes or no.’

Dr Nicola Brink, director of Public Health, said people had to use different mitigations in different circumstances.

‘Part of us living together responsibly with this virus is looking at our circumstances and how we can mitigate spread, so it’s not that one-size-fits-all.’