Thu 23rd Apr 2020 - UKHospitality submits six-point plan to government as it warns extended social distancing period could cost one million jobs UKHospitality submits six-point plan to government as it warns extended social distancing period could cost one million jobs: An extended period of social distancing could cost one million jobs unless measures to protect sector businesses are put in place, according to UKHospitality. The trade body has written to cabinet minister Michael Gove, recommending a six-point plan to help the country’s hospitality businesses avoid “catastrophe” following the crisis. Recognising public health must be the paramount objective in government policy, the letter highlights how many hospitality businesses would not be able to operate profitably while implementing social distancing measures and set out the need for a pragmatic, evidence-based plan to help businesses open when it is safe to do so. Emphasising the diversity and variety of business models across the sector, it argued some businesses may be able to reopen earlier than others, following the government’s guidelines. The six-point plan calls for an extension of the furlough scheme beyond the end of June for hospitality; legislative intervention on rent payments; improved access to capital; a comprehensive fiscal package to stimulate demand post-crisis; an overhaul of business regulation; and the guarantee of a functioning and responsive insurance market. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “With social distancing measures still in place, reopening the hospitality sector without a plan would be catastrophic. Hospitality is a sector built around socialising, so there must to be government support for businesses that continue to be hit by this crisis. We need a plan of phased opening for our sector. If the correct support is not in made available to help businesses get back to work when the time is right, then businesses will have survived the immediate crisis only to find themselves out of business during the aftermath.”