Six former eBay executives and staff have been charged with cyber-stalking in a campaign against a couple who ran a newsletter critical of the company.
Prosecutors allege the harassment included sending the couple live cockroaches, a bloody Halloween mask and a funeral wreath, as well as threatening messages.
EBay said it did not tolerate such behaviour and apologised to the couple.
The firm fired the employees last September after its own probe.
That inquiry also uncovered “inappropriate” communication by former chief executive Devin Wenig, but it did not find evidence he had been aware of the specifics of the campaign, eBay said.
“However, as the company previously announced, there were a number of considerations leading to his departure,” it added.
Mr Wenig was not charged. He told the Wall Street Journal on Monday that what the charges allege are “unconscionable”.
But prosecutors named several senior employees, including 45-year-old James Baugh, a former senior director of safety and security, and 48-year-old David Harville, the firm’s former director of resiliency. Both were arrested on Monday.
US Attorney Andrew Lelling told a news conference that the alleged harassment campaign included threatening Twitter messages and several visits to the couple’s home, with the intent to break into the garage and install a tracking device.
Several of the group are also said to have ordered “anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home, including a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask, a funeral wreath, a book on surviving the loss of a spouse and pornography – the last of these addressed to the newsletter’s publisher, but sent to his neighbours’ homes”, Mr Lelling said.
He called the alleged stalking an attempt from “pretty high up the chain” to “weaponise the internet” to protect eBay’s brand. “This case struck us as something unique,” he said.
In a statement eBay said it “does not tolerate this kind of behaviour. EBay apologises to the affected individuals and is sorry that they were subjected to this”.
As stores across England selling non-essential goods opened their doors for the first time since the lockdown began, shoppers arrived early to centre:mk in Milton Keynes. Some were picking up goods they had been waiting months to buy, such as baby clothes and home furnishings. Others were here for the sales. These shoppers told us what they bought – and why.
Lots of handbags
“We bought lots of handbags for my wife, because she loves to buy bags from TK Maxx,” says Paul Sabato, 56.
“We came today because it was the first day. After three months being closed – we knew there would be good sales and there are.”
And Mr Sabato and his wife Jennifer Sabato, 44, have plans to return.
“We also bought some shoes and sunglasses. We spent £570 but this would be worth more than £1,000 normally. We’re going to drop these bags at home then come back and see what sales there are at Zara.”
Clothes for new job
“We came to buy my daughter some new clothes for work because she starts a new job on Wednesday in the H&M warehouse,” says Arlene Dela Pena, 53, out shopping with Jessica, 20.
“I’m not worried about the virus because I work in a hospital and as long as I have my mask and sanitise my hands and keep distant, then I think it will be safe.”
A bargain dress
“We’re here to buy clothes. There are some great bargains,” says Sophie Quantick, 27.
“I got this dress for £20. We were here at 9.30. By the time we got to Zara there was a queue. It’s like a theme park, you have to have a strategy.”
“We wanted to put on makeup and be normal and have a normal shopping experience, even though we have been buying online during the lockdown,” says Bryony Martin, 29. “We have a rollercoaster mindset – what’s the best shop? Go there first.”
Cushions for new home
“We wanted to buy home stuff like these cushions,” says Ahmed Khan, 33, accompanied by wife Zainab, 28, and baby Mirha.
“We moved into our new home in January, then we went to Pakistan for my brother’s wedding and when we came back in April all the shops were shut.
“We came today because it’s the first day the shops are open. We were expecting sales and there have been. We could have bought online but it’s not the same experience.”
Summer clothes for the children
“We came to buy summer clothes for the children. We went to Primark first but the queue was never ending so we went to H&M,” says Erika Stara, 41, standing alongside her children Rebecca and Marco.
“I wanted to come today and get out and see people, and have some retail therapy.”
“The queue and the social distancing mean it feels different here,” adds Rebecca, 12.
Nightwear and baby clothes
“I bought nightwear and baby clothes because Primark was open. I’m pregnant and I’ve been waiting to get some baby stuff,” says Shantel Brown, 35.
“Everyone keeps their distance. They’ve got sanitiser at the entrance. As long as we’ve got our masks on, we’re fine.”
“I bought tops, shorts and summer clothes. I came because mum forced me,” adds her daughter Tee, 16.
Replacement watch strap
“I came to pick up a new watch strap,” says Greg Dulson, 68.
“The strap on my favourite watch broke and I brought it in to the watchmaker’s the day before lockdown. They said come back tomorrow but it was closed.
“So I’ve been sulking. But now my favourite watch is back. I’ve had it 10 years.”
Jumpsuit and skipping rope
“I bought a jumpsuit because Primark was open and the weather’s getting better again,” says Katie Kirby, 18.
“I did go just to get some essentials like pants and socks, but I when I saw the jumpsuit I had to treat myself because the shops haven’t been open for so long.”
“We do keep out distance in the store. We thought it would be a different shopping experience but once we were in there it was just the same.”
Zac Hopkins, 21, adds: “I bought a skipping rope so I can do some exercise at home. You can’t go to the gym and they’re sold out in lots of shops.”
Three tracksuits
“I came to Hugo Boss because I wanted to buy some tracksuits for my two brothers and the shops have been closed for three months,” says Tom Hunjan, 34.
“I bought myself one too. They’re similar to what I’m wearing, but in white. The shop didn’t have them in though so they’re ordering them for me and I’ll come back in a few days. Why do I like Hugo Boss so much? It’s probably just marketing.
“I also needed some new boxer shorts because yesterday I noticed an inconveniently placed hole.”
All photographs by Phil Coomes with reporting by Vivienne Nunis.
There have been long queues on England’s High Streets and in its shopping centres as people rush back to the shops. It is the first day in nearly three months that shops selling non-essential goods, like clothing and electronics, have been allowed to open.
The UK’s biggest builders’ merchant, Travis Perkins, plans to cut about 2,500 jobs, or 9% of its workforce.
The group said it expected a UK recession to hit demand for building materials this year and in 2021.
It said it had started a consultation process with staff about 165 branch closures, which will affect about 8% of its network.
The firm will mainly be closing smaller branches of its Travis Perkins General Merchant brand, it said.
Figures out last week showed that the UK economy shrank more than 20% in April as the country was in lockdown.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said at the time that there “signs of the economy now beginning to come back into life”, but it was unclear how much long-term damage the pandemic would cause.
The government has put in place various measures to try to limit the long-term damage, including a furlough scheme for workers.
Travis Perkins has been using that furlough scheme, but nevertheless said that the coronavirus crisis had “created significant challenges across our group”.
Image copyright PA
Chief executive Nick Roberts said: “While we have experienced improving trends more recently, we do not expect a return to pre-Covid trading conditions for some time and consequently we have had to take the very difficult decision to begin consultations on the closure of selected branches.”
The group’s sales volumes plunged 40% in May year-on-year, but have since recovered to about 85-90% of last year’s levels as more branches have reopened with social distancing measures.
It said there had been particularly strong demand for core do-it-yourself (DIY) ranges at its Wickes stores and at Toolstation, with both businesses showing improving like-for-like sales growth against 2019.
Travis Perkins said that although it had overall liquidity of £763m, it had agreed a relaxation of banking covenants.
BP has forecast lower oil prices for decades to come as governments speed up plans to cut carbon emissions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
It has cut price forecasts by about 30%, and expects Brent crude to average $55 a barrel from now until 2050.
As a result, the oil giant says it will revise down the value of its assets by between $13bn and $17.5bn (£13.8bn).
BP said it would have to become a “leaner, faster-moving and lower cost organisation”.
Last week, the firm announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs following a global slump in demand for oil.
Countries across the globe have ordered people to stay indoors and not travel as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a slump in demand for oil.
As a result, the cost of oil fell to less than $20 a barrel at the peak of the crisis, less than a third of the $66 it cost at the start of the year.
‘Lower carbon economy’
For a brief period buyers were actually paid to take delivery of crude oil amid a shortage of storage.
The price has since partly recovered to around $37 a barrel.
BP says it has “a growing expectation that the aftermath of the pandemic will accelerate the pace of transition to a lower carbon economy and energy system, as countries seek to ‘build back better’ so that their economies will be more resilient in the future”.
The BBC’s environment analyst, Roger Harrabin, said: “The North Sea is difficult and expensive to exploit, so this is clearly a business-based decision by BP.
“But the ramifications for the climate are potentially very significant. Experts have been warning for years that firms have already discovered far more oil than we can afford to burn if we want to protect the climate.
“This, in part, is a reflection of that new reality. We’ll see how other firms respond.”
When Bernard Looney took over as BP chief executive in February, there was much talk that he, finally, would reshape the company in line with the need to combat climate change.
His predecessors – going right back to John (now Lord) Browne had often spoken of it, but “Beyond Petroleum”, Lord Browne’s phrase for a new-look BP, had often been held back by financial imperatives – not least of which the tens of billions of pounds spent in compensation and clean-up payments after the tragic Gulf of Mexico blow out in 2010.
The coronavirus has now rather forced Mr Looney’s hand.
He has already announced that 10,000 jobs will go worldwide in response to lower demand for oil, and this morning’s statement is the first step in confronting what Mr Looney believes will be a harsh new reality for big oil.
Not only will prices be lower for longer, but government efforts to rebuild the economy will mean a faster-than-expected shift to low-carbon sources of energy.
That means that the value of the oil in the ground that BP plans to develop is lower than forecast, and that some fields might never be developed.
This is a powerful echo – although it does not come from the same argument – of environmental campaigners’ “stranded assets” thesis.
This says that oil companies will have oil fields that will not be able to be developed at all if we are to keep climate-change induced temperature increases in check.
The question now is whether other big oil companies, in particular the US giant Exxon, which has been resistant to climate-change arguments, will follow suit.
China’s second-biggest airline is to launch a new carrier despite a severe global downturn in passengers caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
China Eastern has joined forces with a range of partners including China’s biggest online travel agency Trip.com.
The new airline will be focused on the island destination of Hainan, home to eight million and a free-trade hub.
Some have questioned the timing of the launch which comes as the airline industry struggles to survive.
Government-backed China Eastern will own a majority 51% share in the new carrier, which will be called Sanya International Airlines.
Other backers include Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines and a unit of Trip.com according to an announcement made to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sunday.
No timeframe was given for the launch of the new airline, which will need regulatory approval.
The partners are hoping to capitalise on Hainan’s growing significance in China. The island is about 30 times the size of Hong Kong and is a popular holiday destination for Chinese tourists.
Chinese president Xi Jinping also wants to turn the island into the nation’s largest free-trade zone.
Beijing has outlined plans to lower the income tax rate on Hainan for selected individuals and companies to 15%, and relax visa requirements for tourists and business travellers.
The launch plans come during the biggest crisis the airline industry has faced as planes are grounded and strict quarantines put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19.
Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at FlightGlobal magazine, said: “The airline’s official launch will likely depend on the continued recovery of Chinese domestic traffic and the Covid-19 situation in both China and regionally.
“It takes time to build an airline, however, so a great deal of work needs to take place in terms of equipment and personnel before the airline takes to the air.”
A number of high-profile airlines have been struggling to survive during the crisis including Virgin Australia, Thai Airways and Colombia’s Avianca. Other airlines have been forced to layoff thousands of workers and downsize operations.
The airline industry could suffer losses of more than $84bn (£66bn) this year, the International Air Transport Association, warned last week.
But Shaun Rein, founder of the China Market Research Group, said it was actually a good time to start a new airline focused on Hainan.
“Even before Covid, 2020 was the year of domestic Chinese tourism as China wants to focus more on seeing their own country, especially hot spots like Hainan, Yunnan and emerging ones like Gansu.”
He added that the US-China trade war has seen “emerging patriotism with Chinese citizens wanting to show their children how great their country is and to teach them more about its heritage”.
Meanwhile, ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have discouraged many Chinese travellers from visiting the former British colony.
“Hainan itself as a destination is hot right now, especially as the government supports duty-free shopping there. Hainan also has no quarantine or other travel restrictions.”
Anyone travelling on public transport in England must wear a face covering from Monday under a new rule.
More than 3,000 extra staff including police officers are being deployed at stations to make sure people comply.
Passengers without a covering will be asked to wear one, or will face being refused onboard or fined £100.
People with certain health conditions, disabled people and children under the age of 11 will be exempt from the rule.
In the coming days, hundreds of thousands of free coverings will be handed out at railway stations. The government says masks can be homemade, such as a scarf or bandana.
As well as on transport, all hospital visitors and outpatients also have to wear masks.
The UK government changed its advice on face masks to stop the spread of coronavirus earlier this month, as more people used public transport to go back to work. It is now in line with the World Health Organization’s advice.
The new rules apply to England and require anyone travelling by bus, coach, train, tram, Tube, ferry or plane to cover their face while on board.
They exclude school transport, taxis and private hire vehicles – although Uber has made face coverings compulsory for passengers and drivers.
The rules apply only while travelling – not while waiting – but the rail industry has asked people to cover their face as they enter a station.
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Media captionThe masks should be made of cotton, and even an old pair of socks can be used to cover your face
The compulsory rules do not apply in Scotland,Wales or Northern Ireland – but their governments recommend that people cover their faces in places where social distancing is difficult, including on public transport.
Passenger numbers are expected to reach about 20% of capacity on the railways by early next month.
At those levels, social distancing of 2m might still be possible, says BBC transport correspondent Tom Burridge – but social distancing will not be possible if passenger numbers increase to around 50% of capacity after the summer as predicted.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said remembering to travel with a face covering should become part of people’s daily routine.
He also urged people against using medical masks, saying they must be kept for clinical settings.
More than 3,000 extra staff from British Transport Police, Network Rail, train operators and Transport for London are being deployed at major stations and transport hubs.
Rail unions have welcomed the face masks rule – but have called for social distancing to still be followed and transport workers to be treated with respect.
Image copyright PA Media
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Transport operators will be able to refuse travel or issue fines to passengers who break the rules
The head of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), Manuel Cortes, said: “This must not be seen as a green light among the wider population to use public transport.
“It must remain the case that only the key workers who are keeping us safe during the pandemic continue to use public transport.”
The government urges people to consider all other forms of transport before public transport.
Hospitals ‘confused’
All NHS hospital staff (not just medics), visitors and outpatients will also have to wear face coverings in England.
The government said people should arrive at hospital with a face covering, but if not a face mask will be provided in emergencies.
However, the doctors’ union the British Medical Association has criticised the government for not properly planning for the rules in hospitals, saying some NHS services have been left “confused and unprepared”.
The BMA said it was inappropriate for hospitals to have to supply masks to patients and visitors who arrive without a covering, especially following shortages of some types of personal protective equipment.
The new face covering rules will “inevitably lead to an increased demand”, the BMA said.
Image copyright Alamy
Image caption
Common household items like cotton fabric from old T-shirts or bedding can be used to make a mask
The government said it has adequate stocks of face masks to meet demand and continues to pursue contracts for additional stock. It said more guidance for hospitals will be published on Monday to allow hospitals to get stocks and plans in place.
Also on Monday, all non-essential shops can reopen in England for the first time since the lockdown began.
Which shops are reopening on Monday?
Five ways shopping will be different from now on
It comes as a further 36 people died with the coronavirus in the UK, taking the total to 41,698, the UK government announced on Sunday.
The latest daily figure is the lowest since before lockdown began on 23 March, but there tends to be fewer deaths reported at the weekend, because of a reporting lag.
Meanwhile, France is lifting a number of coronavirus restrictions on Monday. Cafes and restaurants can open, travel to other European countries is allowed.
Several other countries in Europe including Belgium, Croatia, Switzerland and Germany are also reopening their borders between EU countries on Monday.
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Media captionCoronavirus: How to wear a face covering?
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Most shops have been locked since 23 March
Shops in England selling non-essential goods can reopen on Monday for the first time in almost three months.
Retailers have had to introduce strict safety measures and the High Street experience will be very different.
Amid fears about the health of the UK economy, getting a key part of the service sector running again is vital. But retail experts warned shops were unlikely to see any immediate relief.
Boris Johnson has urged people to “shop with confidence”.
He said he was “very optimistic” about stores reopening – although acknowledged that retailers did not know whether there will be a “huge wave of customers” or a “trickle”.
The unlocking comes as face coverings become compulsory when travelling on public transport in England from Monday. Children under the age of 11 will be exempt, and the rules might be waived for people who have a legitimate health reason for not wearing one.
However, face coverings in shops will not be mandatory, with retailers hoping their introduction of an array of other safety measures will be sufficient.
Although food shops, pharmacies, banks and other essential retailers have stayed open, vast swathes of the High Street, from bookshops to clothes outlets, have been closed since 23 March.
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Media captionMary Portas: ‘This is a window of opportunity for local High Streets’
Retailers are required to introduce plastic screens at the tills and floor markings to keep shoppers two metres (6ft 5ins) apart – measures that are already a regular fixture in supermarkets.
Other measures will include pleas not to touch items unless customers intend to purchase them and decontaminating shopping baskets after each use. Retailers are promising there will be plenty of sanitiser on hand for customers.
In most clothes shops, fitting rooms will be closed. Bookshops including Waterstones intend to put items in quarantine if browsed but not bought, while some jewellers are introducing ultraviolet boxes that can decontaminate items in minutes.
There is also government funding for councils to deploy staff on the High Street to provide help and advice for both shoppers and shops.
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Media captionWhat’s it now like shopping for clothes?
Not all stores will throw open their doors immediately. John Lewis will reopen just two outlets on Monday – in Kingston upon Thames and Poole – as part of a phased approach, with 11 others to follow on Thursday.
The number of customers entering stores will be regulated, but Andrew Murphy, executive director of operations, hopes it will mean a better atmosphere for shoppers. “To be honest, I actually think it’s going to be the relative calmness of the experience that will probably be the main thing that strikes people.”
But he did not expect a lifting of the measures any time soon. “We expect this situation to last well into autumn and perhaps winter so we need to be thinking ahead for how things will work when the weather’s not so great,” he said.
Major High Street chains start to unlock
John Lewis will start by opening 13 branches in stages
Next will reopen just 25 of its 500 stores at first
Debenhams will reopen 50 stores in England and three in Northern Ireland
Marks and Spencer will open all its shops in England and Northern Ireland
JD Sports is reopening all 309 of its stores in England
Primark is reopening all 153 of its stores in England
Argos, which has kept outlets in Sainsbury’s stores open, will reopen 145 standalone stores for click and collect
Topshop is reopening all its stores in England and selected ones in Northern Ireland
Some other retailers selling products classed as essential – such as DIY, furniture and bicycles – have also been reopening. Furniture giant Ikea opened 19 of its stores across England and Northern Ireland recently, prompting long queues.
Shoppers at Selfridges, which is reopening its London, Manchester and Birmingham branches, will have the chance to try before they buy, but any clothes will then be quarantined, while shoes and accessories will be cleaned with sanitising spray or steamed.
Primark, which will open each of its 153 English stores, has pledged to ensure basket handles are cleaned after each use and that every second till will be closed to maintain social distancing for customers and employees.
Many stores are encouraging customers to make purchases by contactless card payments, with limits increased to £45. Arcadia, which owns the likes of Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins, has said it will not accept cash.
London’s West End, which includes Oxford Street, is expecting about 80% fewer visitors when it reopens on Monday. Many retailers and analysts are watching closely to see if the surge in online shopping during lockdown continues, possibly piling more pressure on High Streets that have already suffered a wave of closures.
Image copyright Harveys
‘It’s not just customers who will have to do things differently’
Tracy Harvey, managing director of the independent department store Harveys of Halifax, says customers are set for a “quite different” experience when they return on Monday.
The five-storey shop will be opening just two floors initially. But it won’t be just shoppers who have to do things differently, she told the BBC. “Some of our staff have been working in the building for 30 years. We’ve done training, but breaking the habits of a lifetime is going to be challenging. We naturally do things without thinking sometimes, so it will be a challenge.”
Harveys is the sort traditional department store where some customers come in every day, she said. “We know our customers’ names. We are now asking out staff to interact with them in a very different way. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
Tracy intends to keep the number of customers in the store at any one time to a bare minimum. “We could get more people in, but we have decided to keep the numbers low so that the people who are in can walk around and explore more freely rather than be dictated to every step of the way.”
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body representing the sector, warned that the unlocking was unlikely to provide any immediate boost for the sector.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “Retailers have been under immense pressure for the past three months but the reopening of non-essential shops is unlikely to deliver immediate relief. A mix of low consumer confidence and limits on the number of people able to enter stores mean that many shops will continue to suffer lower footfall – and lower sales – for some time to come.”
She called on the government to help stimulate demand with a short-term cut in VAT or a temporary income tax cut for lower-income workers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday he did not know whether to expect “a flood or a trickle” when the shops reopened but that he hoped people would return in “sensible” numbers. “I think people should shop and shop with confidence, but they should of course observe the rules on social distancing and do it as safely as possible,” he said.
In Northern Ireland, non-essential shops reopened on Friday, but there is still no date for Wales and Scotland.
In England, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels and cinemas won’t be allowed to open their doors until 4 July at the earliest – and even then, only if they can meet social distancing measures.
Key to a successful reopening of the economy is the two-metre social distancing rule, the hospitality industry says. Pubs and restaurants have warned that they cannot make money if customers are required to keep two-metres apart, and have urged that the distance limit be reduced to one metre.
Mr Johnson has commissioned a review into two-metre distancing, saying there was “margin for manoeuvre” as the number of coronavirus cases falls.
The government is under intense pressure to get the economy moving as fears grow of a new wave of job losses as furlough scheme that has supported eight million workers is wound down.
On Sunday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak acknowledged that more redundancies were inevitable. “Primarily we need to reopen our economy safely and slowly. That is the most important thing to try and safeguard as many of those jobs as possible,” he told The Andrew Marr Show.
But he warned: “There is going to be hardship ahead. People are going to lose their jobs.”
Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants in England may soon be able to reopen their doors for the first time since lockdown began in March.
But despite the easing of restrictions, a trip to a local bar or dining establishment could be a very different experience from how it was before coronavirus.
When will reopening begin?
In its recovery strategy document published on 11 May, the government said that the hospitality sector – which includes pubs, bars and restaurants – could start to reopen “no earlier than 4 July”, if Covid-19 safety guidelines could be met.
The government has yet to announce details of what these guidelines would be, but they’re expected to include rules on social distancing, heightened hygiene procedures and protection of bar and restaurant staff.
It will provide “further safer working guidance” for restaurants, pubs and bars “as soon as we can”, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said during Tuesday’s coronavirus briefing.
What are the rules now?
On 20 March, all pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes were asked to shut in order to stop the spread of coronavirus
The only exceptions to this were cafes and canteens at a few selected places such as schools, hospitals and prisons.
Since then, many restaurants have started offering food delivery and takeaways in order to generate income while their doors are closed. Some pubs have also been allowed to offer takeaway beers.
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption
Some pubs are currently open but are only allowed to operate as takeaways
What about the rest of the UK?
Each nation of the UK is setting its own rules for the reopening of food and drink outlets:
The Scottish government has outlined a phased approach to pubs and restaurants reopening but has yet to give a date for when this might take place
Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has refused to give “any promises about when pubs might reopen
In Northern Ireland, the executive is due to discuss the subject on 11 June
What are the main obstacles to reopening?
The chief worry for many people in the hospitality industry is the issue of social distancing. Some have insisted that the current 2m distancing rule makes it impossible for bars, cafes and restaurants to make a profit.
Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of the industry body UK Hospitality, says that with a 2m rule, outlets would be only able to make about 30% of normal revenues, whereas 1m would increase that to 60-75%.
Some Conservative MPs have added their support for reducing social distancing, and the prime minister said on 10 June that the 2m rule was “under constant review”.
What other measures could be taken?
The Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca says it is considering a range of measures to keep staff and workers safe amid the pandemic.
Customers are likely to be given the option of ordering food on apps, while staff will be encouraged to wash their hands every 20 minutes.
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Media captionWhat will a socially-distanced bar look like?
Meanwhile, the Wetherspoons pub chain has said its staff will be provided with face masks and protective eyewear and it will run a reduced food menu.
Bottles of ketchup and mayonnaise will be replaced by individual sachets. Customers will also be encouraged to sit outside in pub gardens, while some indoor seating areas will be separated by Perspex screens.
How is the hospitality sector coping during lockdown?
The hospitality sector was the third-largest employer in the country in 2018, according to UK Hospitality.
But many restaurants and cafes were already struggling even before the Covid-19 outbreak, in the face of rising rents and falling consumer spending.
Since lockdown began, job cuts and closures have been announced by chains such as Frankie & Benny’s and Carluccio’s.
GETTY IMAGES
UK hospitality industry
3rdlargest UK employer in 2018
3.2 millionworkers in the sector
99%of hospitality businesses are SMEs
£130bnannual turnover in 2018
67%expect it will be “months” before going to a restaurant
Source: UK Hospitality, EY
Thousands of workers in the industry have been furloughed under the government’s job retention scheme, which allows them to receive 80% of their monthly salary up to £2,500.
What have other countries done?
Image copyright Getty Images
Many other countries have already reopened restaurants, bars and cafes around the world. In some cases they have had the use of lower social distancing recommendations – in France, for example, the recommended distance between customer and staff is 1m.
Eating and drinking establishments in Paris can now serve customers on outside terraces, but staff must wear masks, and customers must also wear masks when moving around
In Berlin, restaurants, cafes and snack kiosks are open, and people from two separate households are allowed to share a table, if they keep a distance of 1.5m from each other
Spanish bars and restaurants have now been allowed to reopen if they stick to social distancing rules and only operate at 50% capacity
Restaurants, bars and cafes in Italy reopened in May – restaurants must host reduced numbers of diners, with tables further apart and plastic shields to separate customers
The UK government has published guidelines designed to minimise coronavirus flying risks.
The recommendations say that all luggage should be checked in, passengers should wear face coverings in the airport, and that face-to-face contact with staff should be minimised.
The Department of Transport said its advice remained that people should avoid non-essential travel.
The guidance drew swift criticism from within the struggling airline industry.
Airline Ryanair said the hand luggage advice was “nonsensical”, noting that checked-in bags are handled by multiple people, whereas hand luggage is only touched by the passenger.
It recommended instead that passengers minimise checked-in luggage, in favour of one or two pieces of hand luggage.
The aviation industry has been hit hard by coronavirus travel restrictions, with Airlines UK warning that quarantine rules “would effectively kill of air travel”.
On Thursday Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “The government’s advice currently remains to avoid all non-essential travel, but today we are taking the necessary steps to ensure a framework is in place for the aviation industry to bounce back when it is safe for restrictions on travel to be lifted.”
The government guidance also advises passengers to wash their hands regularly after touching surfaces, and remain seated as much as possible on flights.
Heathrow redundancies
Many airlines have said that jobs are under threat due to the crisis, including British Airways, which drew criticism after announcing up to 12,000 redundancies while workers were furloughed.
On Thursday, Heathrow Airport announced that it was seeking voluntary redundancies from frontline staff.
“From the start, our priority has been to protect jobs but with the ongoing crisis, this is getting more difficult to sustain,” a Heathrow spokesperson said.
“Having listened to unions, we have offered a voluntary severance scheme and negotiations will continue in coming weeks.”
The airport has already made 500 out of approximately 1,500 managers redundant, and it is understood that Heathrow is now looking to cut about 1,800 further posts from 5,500 frontline staff.
However, it is understood that the Unite union has not accepted this level of cuts.
In a statement the union said it had “rejected strongly the prospect of any enforced redundancy programme and has instead negotiated a generous voluntary severance scheme.”
Virgin cuts
In May Virgin Atlantic said it would cut 3,000 jobs and end its operation at Gatwick airport.
On Thursday the airline said the redundancies for staff including 300 pilots would go into effect this week.
A source at the airline told BBC transport correspondent Tom Burridge that the airline’s 1,050 pilots were expecting to receive emails by Friday confirming whether they were being made redundant or not.
Virgin Atlantic requested a bailout of several hundred million pounds from the government several weeks ago, but the Treasury has not confirmed whether it will provide the airline with emergency loans.
Most of the staff who will be issued with redundancy notices are UK-based.
