Hastings Pier Reopens & COVID-19 Latest Guidance - 1st April.

According to posts on the Hastings Pier facebook page, the Pier reopens tomorrow, Friday the 1st of April, honest, not a joke. 👌 Although, on the sidebar of that page it says it is open now, as I write a day earlier, maybe that is a joke!?! Whatever, I decided to share the news about the Pier reopening and the latest guidance about COVID-19 today, just in case anyone thought I may be joking tomorrow, that being All Fools' Day, so this blog is most definitely serious, and I shan't be blogging tomorrow...

The Bier Garden will be back, food in the Pavilion will now be provided by Rockpool Bar and Grill, and much live music will return too; details can be found on facebook. Spring opening times will be 09.00-21.00 Sundays to Thursdays, and 09.00-23.00 on Fridays and Saturdays; so Hastings Pier gates should be open tomorrow at 09.00!

I share below the basics of the latest Government advice, Living with Covid (Step Whatever!), particularly that free Lateral Flow Tests are no longer available free to the general public. For much more information and advice go to the Government website.

• Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available to help protect specific groups including eligible patients and NHS and care staff once the universal testing offer ends on 1 April and next steps for adult social care set out
• Plans in place to enable rapid testing response should a new health threat emerge, such as a new variant of concern emerge
• Vaccines and treatments mean we can transition to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses, with updated guidance published on 1 April

People at risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and eligible for treatments, will continue to get free tests to use if they develop symptoms, along with NHS and adult social care staff and those in other high-risk settings, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid announced today (Tuesday 29 March).

Free testing for the general public ends on 1 April as part of the Living with Covid plan which last month set out the government’s strategy to live with and manage the virus.

Oh yes, and definitely not funny, English NHS staff can wave goodbye to free parking from tomorrow (BMJ), whereas MPs continue to get free parking (parliament website).

Not to forget that energy prices are rising exponentially! 😒

Stay safe folks, and enjoy the Pier!

More COVID-19 Restrictions Begin Today for England.

From today the wearing of face coverings has become mandatory in more places since they were reintroduced at the end of November (blog); now including for most indoor public venues, places of worship, hairdressers, theatres, cinemas, and shops and public transport of course (BBC). In addition, from Monday next, the 13th of December, people are being advised to work from home again, if they can... 

Also, if agreed to by Parliament (very unlikely to not be agreed), from next Wednesday, the 15th of December, people will need a NHS Covid Pass, that is, either for proof of vaccination status or a negative lateral flow test, if they want to gain entry to certain public venues, that is:

• Nightclubs
• Indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people
• Unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people
• Any venue with more than 10,000 people

Stay safe folks!

Covid-19 Crisis & Lockdown Rules in your area

Reminder regarding Mask Disposal

I have found a great link on the BBC website that explains quite simply the lockdown rules in the area where you live, including meeting friends and family, going to work, schools and nurseries, leisure time, shopping, and face covering requirements on public transport and in other public spaces/buildings. Subsequently, if you need to travel anywhere, for where you are going and the rules there; check here. 

And a timely reminder about disposing of face masks and the environment (above).

Keep safe and considerate folks!

Covid-19 Hospitality & Other New Rules

So, from Thursday last (24th) Government rules regarding pubs, bars and restaurants, and elsewhere, changed significantly from when I first wrote a blog about their guidance regarding Covid-19 and the hospitality sector way back at the beginning of July. Face Coverings must now be worn by all hospitality sector staff, and staff in shops, and, unless sitting at a table, all customers in the hospitality sector must wear a face covering when entering the premises, standing up, going to the lavatory, and leaving premises, indeed, customers may only be served whilst sitting at a table, and pay from the table. Fines on customers can reach up to £3,200, doubling for each offence from an initial fine of £200, and pubs, bars and restaurants will be shut down if not ensuring rules are  met, eg regarding wearing face coverings, social distancing, or allowing more than 6 people be seated together (for more detailed information see the latest rules).

In addition, people visiting hospitality premises must not flit from table to table, or group to group, but must stay at the one table, even if their long-lost Uncle Bob turns up unannounced with another group of customers. From what I've heard so far, only a few people have been forgetting to wear a mask and ignoring other rules, but one would hope they learn quickly if they want to eat and/or drink socially outside of their homes!

And a wee reminder that if you want to drink at the Bier Garden on Hastings Pier, their hours are slightly different until it closes again next Sunday and, subsequently, this is the penultimate weekend that you may enjoy the privilege (see blog).

Have a nice weekend, at least it's stopped raining! 😉

Hastings RNLI Lifeboat Shop Reopening

Hastings RNLI Lifeboat Station shop is reopening today (Friday 4th August 2020), from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm daily. Of course there will be observation of Covid-19 precautions, including visitors required to wear face coverings and to maintain social distancing. Welcome back, although the lifeboat never went away thankfully!

Weekend Out & New Covid-19 Guidelines for Face Covering

Some things are getting back to normal, and the new stewardship of Hastings Pier appear to be using their grey matter, at last! Anyway, they have a large seating area, with a capacity of 600, on the far side of the Deck building in the middle of the pier and calling it a bier garden, thus for eating and drinking at. On Fridays there will be free live music on the pier with Live & Unlocked from 4-11.45pm (facebook). Also, on Saturdays they will be providing free live music at this outdoors venue, tomorrow (25th July) Funk Jam will mean live music from 2pm to midnight! (facebook). Last week saw the 'inaugural' pier gig with local act Sam Calver playing, and you can see many photographs at flickr showing just how many people were enjoying the day!

It does look a bit damp tomorrow, so be dressed appropriately (Met Office).

And the pubs and restaurants keep reopening, for example, yesterday saw the reopening of The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street (corner with Crown Lane) TN34 3BN (website). They are open 10am-10pm, with food served 12-5pm and 6-9pm. There is table service, like for most places now, and on the website they state there will be a limit to numbers and recommend to book tables required from noon, which can be booked online. You do not need to wear a face covering at any of Hastings pubs, bars or restaurants, but from today there are new Government guidelines for elsewhere...

As I write we are a little over 7 hours into the new guidelines about wearing face coverings in public in England, following the already well publicized guidelines that we must wear face coverings on public transport. This now includes, with some exceptions for health conditions and age, we must wear face coverings when travelling on public transport, and in shops, supermarkets, shopping centres, banks, building societies, post offices, and transport hubs (indoor train stations and terminals, airports, maritime ports, and indoor bus and coach stations or terminals).

We must also wear face coverings when visiting takeaway food businesses, unless we are going to sit down to eat on the premises, in which case we are allowed to take off our face coverings once we are sitting down, but we must put a face covering back on once we leave the seating area. I trust that is clear... 

For more details go to the Government website.

Whatever, do please be careful folks, and enjoy your weekend!

Government Covid-19 Guidance, July 4th Weekend and Pubs etc

It seems like we get daily new 'guidance' (law, basically!) regarding Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Crisis from Her Majesty's Government, well, I'm sure you must be aware that newer guidance will be in force from the 4th of July, but hardly 'independence day' (website). So what major changes will there be from tomorrow? 

Your household will now be able to meet up with one other household, indoors or outdoors, however, you need to continue with social distancing from people not in your household or bubble (a group larger than 30 can be broken up by the Police!), and it continues that you may meet up outdoors as long as you maintain social distancing in a group of 6 maximum, from up to 6 different households.

Social Distancing will remain at TWO METRES or ONE METRE PLUS (website), that is "plus mitigations" which will depend on the setting. "For example, on public transport, people must wear a face covering... In other spaces mitigations could include installing screens, making sure people face away from each other, putting up handwashing facilities, minimising the amount of time you spend with people outside your household or bubble, and being outdoors."

All this is pretty much passing responsibility on to others, quite frankly, because, as we all know, the economic cost of the Coronavirus Crisis has been quite high to the Government, and they appear to want to get out of paying to support businesses, particularly in the Hospitality Sector, as early as possible, but not necessarily at the most sensible speed health-wise. So, guidance has been written up for Restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services (website) to 'support' pubs, restaurants and bars to reopen, and visiting such places ain't gonna be what we're used to!

I am not going to say 'yay' or 'nay' to whether people should visit pubs, bars and restaurants, that is our personal choice, bearing in mind the restrictions within the guidance offered by Government, how this is interpreted by local authorities and the Police and Courts, and not to forget, how the publicans, restaurateurs and managers interpret and implement guidance. It's a pig's ear frankly!

I have been asking around, and it looks like less than 50% of establishments in Hastings & St Leonards will reopen on the 4th, with many planning to open on Monday the 6th, quite a few later bearing in mind work being carried out in the meantime, some much later. I have added a photograph (above) of The Tower pub in London Road, which will be reopening tomorrow morning (it has been making off-sales during lockdown - blog) with details of changes to how it will appear, should you visit the pub.

The landlady has advised me that they are continuing today with the off-sales, as per my earlier blog, and will be open at their usual hours from the 4th of July, 11.00 am to 11.00 pm I believe. There will be table service only, no standing at the bar, so all customers will be seated, and no reservations in advance. I think this is pretty much the way it will be everywhere, except those with outside gardens/patios may have a few differences. Hygiene will be maximized and hand washing facilities and the use of sanitizing gel will no doubt be increased everywhere. Best wishes to Louisa and others! 

I can't provide details of who is opening, or when, throughout Hastings, but feel free to add proper details in the comments section, cheers! Certainly in the 'old town' it appears that more pubs and bars will be closed than those open over this weekend. 

Enjoy your weekend, whatever you do, but do be careful folks!