Hospitality being 'sacrificed' by Sheffield's 'halfway house' high alert level

Matt Haslam said the new indoor mixing ban would see reduced customer numbers plunge further.

And he called for either enforced closure - as in Liverpool where shuttered firms receive money - or financial support now.

Mr Haslam is director of No-Fli which supplies fly killers to the retail and hospitality industry.

He said: “Either close fully and compensate, or do not do anything. Hospitality and those that supply hospitality are being sacrificed and this death by a thousand cuts is a disgusting way to treat this and other industries affected.”

The ruling, which also applies to pubs and restaurants, puts the onus on bosses to ensure all groups of customers have the same address.

It replaces the ‘rule of six’ which allowed mixing between people from up to six households.

It came into force on Wednesday October 14 after a sharp rise in cases.

Mr Haslam acknowledged protecting health and the economy was a difficult balance.

In Sheffield, population is 585,000, there have been 10,811 cases and 431 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.

The Star has produced an online page of up to date coronavirus statistics and charts for the UK including Sheffield here.

He added: “I live in Wisewood and the death rate is nine. This is since January!

“Sadly, there will be more deaths and getting the balance between prevention of death and killing the economy is impossible. We just have to hope that the people who make decisions, start making some correct ones.”

Nationally, 67 per cent of contacts are reached within 24 hours, but critics say this is too low and people who may have the virus are circulating freely.

The Local Government Association says locally-run tracing services have reached 97.1 per cent of close contacts who were asked to self-isolate.

There has also been criticism that results take too long and only one in five people are self isolating properly.

Last week, a technical glitch meant the close contacts of 16,000 people in England who tested positive were not traced.

South Yorkshire politicians want a ‘local lockdown lifeline’ of Government support to avoid a ‘huge economic downturn which will impact the people and businesses of South Yorkshire for decades to come’.

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