More than three-quarters of pubs could reopen if social distancing rules were relaxed to one metre, the boss of a large trade body has said.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), warned however that if the two-metre guidance remains, just one-third could reopen their doors.
She said the industry would then face further financial misery and ruin. Miss McClarkin, whose organisation represents about 20,000 UK pubs and the majority of brewers, said the required distance should be reduced to at least one metre, as in several European countries and advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).