Boris Johnson has tightened Covid-19 restrictions in England, scrapping plans for business events and conferences to reopen on October 1.
In an address to MPs, the prime minister called on people to work from home where possible in light of the rising number of coronavirus cases and the Covid alert level being upgraded from three to four. The new measures are expected to last for up to six months.
From Thursday (24 September), pubs and restaurants in England will have a 10pm curfew and table service only, while staff in the hospitality and retail sectors will need to wear face coverings, as will passengers in taxis. Weddings will now have a limit of 15 guests, a reduction by half of the previously allowed 30.
Johnson said: “We must acknowledge that the spread of the virus is affecting our ability to reopen business conferences and exhibitions and large sporting events, we will not be able to do this from 1 October.
“We will spare no effort in developing vaccines, treatments, new forms of mass testing but unless we palpably make progress we should assume that the restrictions that I have announced will remain in place for perhaps six months. For the time being, this virus is a fact of our lives and I must tell the house and the country that our fight against it will continue.”
Lex Butler, chair of HBAA, said the sector been "further decimated" by the new restrictions.
She said: “Many of our agency and venue members have gone beyond or are at tipping point; they have had to make redundancies, they are unsure if their businesses can survive, many haven’t had any income for over six months. Financial reserves and overdrafts are exhausted, and this news will regrettably accelerate the inevitable.
“Whilst HBAA fully appreciates and supports the need for these tighter measures in the interests of the country’s fight back against the spread of Covid 19, we must receive substantial financial support without delay. We continue to campaign and lobby for additional financial support specifically for our sector, and we have to see action now if our businesses, and the industry, are to survive.”
Dr Kate Dashper, reader in Events Management at Leeds Beckett University, wrote on Twitter: "More bad news for the #events industry - it is going to be a tough winter for #eventprofs".
Venue group MEET Beyond London tweeted: "Massive disappointment for our fantastic industry".
Analysis - A real hammer blow
The prime minister's latest announcement is a long way from where event professionals thought they would be at this stage, says M&IT acting editor Paul Harvey
At the beginning of lockdown, even as shutters fell across the UK and the country ground to a halt, there was still an air of optimism around.
Speaking to event planners – and I spoke to a lot – there was a general sense that we just had to ride out the first wave, flatten the curve, and we’d be back pressing the flesh by the autumn. People specifically talked about September as being “the safe zone”.
Well, now September is here, and it isn’t any kind of safe zone. Cases are rising, leading to increased restrictions on gatherings and talk of a second national lockdown.
Last week the prime minister announced that the planned business events restart on October 1 would be reviewed, shattering all the confidence that had built up over previous weeks. The effect of the announcement was immediate, with swathes of events pivoting from live to virtual or cancelling completely.
Now we hear that the October 1 reopening has been scrapped, and it's a real hammer blow. Already, everywhere you turn, it’s clear eventprofs are struggling. Agencies and venues are closing, trade shows are being postponed or cancelled. LinkedIn is awash with people looking for work – and not much to be found.
With no business events and conferences for six months, as the PM suggested, there is little light at the end of the tunnel. Event professionals need more support now - before it's too late.
Let us know what you think about the new restrictions - contact [email protected]
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
