Track and trace to resume for hospitality with every customer legally required to sign in: NHS Track and Trace is set to resume for hospitality businesses upon reopening with every customer being legally required to sign in, and not just the main booker. Operators must also “take responsible steps” to refuse entry to a customer or visitor who does not provide their name and contact details or who has not scanned the QR code on a poster outside the venue. Staff should verify that each individual (aged 16 and above) has checked in using the QR code by reviewing the individuals phone screen. If visitors supply their contact details in advance – such as through a booking system – they don’t need to sign in again at the venue. However they can scan the QR code again if they wish. All staff must know and understand the rules, otherwise the business risks being fined for non-compliance. Track and trace will be required for outdoors as well as indoors, including beer gardens and pavements. Takeaway and click and collect customers will not be required to give their details. The details were revealed in a call with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on Friday (26 March) with track and trace for hospitality set to be in place until at least September. The DHSC said operators will need to note the arrival time as well as collect contact details if signing in manually. If requested, data will need to be uploaded as per a template which will be provided in due course. Any notification of an outbreak would not include the business’ details and customers would be advised to look out for symptoms. There will be a campaign kicking off in the next few days to encourage people to use the app. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls told Propel: “The industry worked really hard to put in place test and trace and make it work from day one of reopening last summer, three months ahead of the launch of the government app. With 60 million customer visits a week, we were the only sector able to gather meaningful data on customers during this time and to play our part in the national test and trace effort. We are disappointed therefore the government has chosen to make the system even more onerous on businesses at this time and simply unworkable to place the onus on our teams to refuse entry to customers who refuse to comply. We urge the government to work with us to communicate the benefits of test and trace to customers and encourage wider take up among all public places, including retail.” Dan Brookman, chief executive of Airship, whose company developed Trck.to app to allow checking in to venues revealed details of the briefing call with the DHSC. Brookman said the industry was due to be told of the news on 5 April, just a week before outside spaces are allowed to reopen, and was perplexed why the government was not telling the industry sooner. Airship’s app was rolled out to 11,000 locations last year, recording the details of 23 million people, but the company only ever received about 50 data requests from the NHS test and team, Brookman said. He told Propel: “This is going to put a lot more pressure on operators who will be risking a fine if they don’t comply. Truthfully I'm gutted about this. If was a complete fail the first time around, I hope that the effort/disruption to the guest experience will not be wasted this time.”