Is your hospitality Test and Trace legal (and visitor friendly) right now?

Details correct at time of writing: 25th May 2021

As I have discovered starting to venture into the world post May lockdown roadmap, a couple of changes for venue check-ins in England seem to have been poorly communicated to a lot of venues, or to their staff.

Couple that with most of the public getting their lockdown information from media outlets, which often don’t communicate more than the “exciting” changes (You can go to the pub in these numerical groups!) and someone looking for tea and cake with gran as part of their visit to your museum may get a bit huffy about the changes.*

If your venue is in England, and especially if it has a cafe, a few things you need to really know/think about at the moment:​

Test and Trace

• You must now ask every customer or visitor aged 16 and over to scan the official NHS QR code, or provide their name and contact details - not just one member of each group.
• Hospitality spaces (for example, a café with seating on site) should take reasonable steps to refuse entry to people who refuse to provide their details or scan the official hospitality NHS QR code poster using the NHS COVID-19 app (except where exemptions apply). This does not apply to takeaway service.
• You shouldn’t refuse entry to your museum or gallery if someone refuses to provide details, but it is your duty to ask all visitors to do so. You then should be checking people entering your cafe, and refuse entry if they refuse to check in there.
• Failure to adhere to any of these requirements could result in fixed penalty fines starting at £1,000.

Note the difference between hospitality and general venues when it comes to refusing entry, but that even as a general venue you should be encouraging/asking all visitors over 16 to provide details.
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Data privicy

• You must still adhere to GDPR with all this. Please don’t place a stand at your museum entrance with a clipboard for everyone to conveniently sign in, showing a list of 20 + people’s full contact details… I have seen this, and it made me clench in terror.
• Ensure staff are prepared to explain how visitor information is being used and kept, if asked, and have access to relevant privacy policies both printed, and where they can be read online.

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Clarity first

I've asked a few friends and colleagues, and it does seem that a lot of the public are unaware that popping out for lunch together does now mean everyone needs to provide details, or be refused entry.

• If your venue houses sit down hospitality, is it nice and clear for people planning to visit, prior to arriving, that they must check in seperately there after being asked to check in to the museum or gallery? Can you pop friendly and ressuring reminders on social media, and also promote the cake and coffee at the same time? Clarify the difference between where it is encouraged, and where is it necessary.
• Are your staff confident asking visitors to check in, clarifying the situation around hospitality check in being different, checking visitors have complied, and following any procedure for refusing entry? They'll need support and reassurance, to handle possibly upset visitors, and also just for the additional day to day stresses.

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Resources

Not got the updated QR code sheets, changed to ask everyone to check in? You can generate new ones here: https://www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster

Do you want updated posters, both staff and customer facing, with the new check in details?: https://www.covid19.nhs.uk/information-and-resources.html
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*Leaving aside what the media chooses to focus on, when I told a friend about the change that everyone should check into hospitality venues, he was amazed that he'd not heard about it previously, and had to spend a good while navigating the government website to actually find that piece of ruling, and that was while he knew what he was searching for as a specific rule.