Public Health Restrictions: Government Economic Support

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:38 pm on 13 October 2020.

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Photo of Steve Barclay Steve Barclay The Chief Secretary to the Treasury 12:38, 13 October 2020

As the right hon. Gentleman will know, that same SAGE guidance also says that there are multiple anecdotal reports of outbreaks linked to bars, and the Public Health England case control study also identifies visits to entertainment venues as a risk factor. It comes back to the point about balance. Some in the House say that there is a risk of infection in these hospitality venues and we should close them entirely; others say that we should have no restrictions at all. We have taken our decision on the basis that compliance tends to decrease later in the evening and that there are links to outbreaks in these venues. That is the balance that we have been striking.