The new lockdown in England has been sharply criticised by trade association BACTA through its CEO John White.
In a message to his members, White said that the one-month lockdown "is yet another blow to the amusement and gaming sector, already reeling from previous measures announced by the government to combat Covid-19."
White said that all locations, pubs, clubs, bars, leisure centres, bingo halls, bowling centres, adult gaming centres and arcades, will have to close, as will casinos and betting offices, although the situation about venues at motorway service areas remains unclear.
The lockdown will last until December 2 when the government "will look to" return to the current tiered approach.
White added: “The latest lockdown is another punch to the guts for an industry already on its knees. Amusement machine supply chains, which have had no extra support, are close to breaking. These businesses are needed to aid recovery but this further lockdown will see more jobs lost. We need the chancellor to reduce VAT to 5 per cent for seaside arcades and to cut Machine Gaming Duty to 5 per cent to support high streets and pubs now. We also need extended universal rates relief for 2021/22 across the whole industry and supply chain.”
White said that the government had announced that its Job Retention Scheme would not finish on October 31 but be extended until the end of November.
“Full details are yet to be published but it appears the scheme will operate as it did in August," White said. "That is to say paying 80 per cent of a furloughed worker’s salary with the employer paying any pension and National Insurance costs. The scheme will allow for flexible working. In addition, grants up to £3k will be available (rateable values will determine what you can get), and there will be additional discretionary grants available from local authorities. BACTA cannot see any restriction on businesses in Scotland and Wales being able to use the extended furlough scheme.”
