A pub boss preparing to open a new outdoor establishment called the Social Distance Inn has said she will review pre-booking arrangements after worrying scenes emerged at the weekend of English streets packed with revellers.
A large marquee bar and seating for up 60 people has been set up in the car park of the Scone Arms.
All tables and chairs have been set two metres apart, and each customer will have their temperature checked as they go in.
General manager Kayleigh McKerachar said staff have been working for several weeks to create “the safest possible experience”.
But she said measures were being reviewed again after seeing images of crowded Soho streets on the first day of pubs’ re-opening south of the border.
“It’s an ever-moving situation,” she said. “The guidelines are being updated all the time, and that means we are always reviewing our measures.
“We know how it important it is to make people safe and that has always been our top priority. People won’t come if they don’t feel confident.”
She said: “We have been keeping a close eye on what has been happening in England, and after seeing some of the images of people out on the streets we are reviewing things again.
“We had planned that customers could turn up without booking, but now we are considering making it so that everyone will need to register before they arrive.”
Kayleigh said: “If we can get a complete handle on the situation, and keep a close check on the amount of people coming in, then it will be a safer, more enjoyable experience for everyone.”
Along with the 18 metre marquee bar, the outdoor area has been fitted with pedal-powered sink, new CCTV and one-way entrance and exit points.
Customers can order food and drink on an app which will be linked up to an NHS Scotland tracker.
“We will be taking everyone’s temperature at the door,” she said. “It will be a traffic lights system meaning anyone who doesn’t get a green light will not be allowed in.”
She said the new outdoor area will have reduced opening hours, from 11am to 9pm. “Hopefully it will be a success, and we hope to keep it open throughout the summer, even once we are able to reopen the main bar,” she said.
