In another disappointing blow to the bingo industry, it has been announced this week that all Bingo halls in England must now close their doors at 10pm. Theis news comes just as bingo halls are re-opening their doors after being forced to close on 23rd March, and will no doubt come as a bitter blow to venues around the country.
Reduced revenue for bingo operators
With venues now having to close their doors at 10pm, this means a huge drop in the number of customers a venue can accommodate each week and therefore another large drop in revenue. This is after venues have already had to limit their capacity in order to ensure social distancing inside and also either limit or remove food and refreshments to limit contact among players and staff. 
They have also spent thousands on making their venues Covid safe by spacing out or removing tables for social distancing purposes, installing Perspex screening at receptions and the bar areas, providing PPE and hand sanitising stations throughout. Now the 10pm curfew is bound to add on the mounting financial strain many bingo operators are facing and placing more jobs at risk.
Other new measures for businesses
Included in the list of businesses to close at 10pm are pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, theme parks, amusement centres, leisure centres, bowling alleys and casinos. As well as closing at 10pm, licensed premises can only now offer table service, meaning that anyone wanting to eat or drink must be sat at a table. Face masks are now mandatory in all shops and venues with fines being handed out to businesses and individuals who don’t comply. Businesses must also ensure they take everyone’s details for track and trace purposes and now the new NHS track and trace app is operational, they should display the QR code in order for customers to scan and check in.