Yotam ottolenghi joins protest against tier 2 london lockdown

Yotam ottolenghi joins protest against tier 2 london lockdown

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* SOME 200 WORKERS FILLED PARLIAMENT SQUARE TO PROTEST LONDON'S TIER 2 LOCKDOWN  * DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS BANNED FROM MIXING INDOORS - EVEN IN HOSPITALITY VENUES  * SOME 200,000


HOSPITALITY WORKERS COULD LOSE JOBS IN CENTRAL LONDON ALONE * YOTAM OTTOLENGHI SAID TIER 2 RESTRICTIONS IN THE CAPITAL WILL 'KILL VIABLE BUSINESSES' By JEMMA CARR FOR MAILONLINE


Published: 11:18 EDT, 19 October 2020 | Updated: 12:12 EDT, 19 October 2020 Top chef Yotam Ottolenghi has joined hospitality workers in a noisy demonstration against 'devastating'


Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions in central London. Around 200 workers, from farmers to chefs and events organisers, filled Parliament Square with a metallic uproar by banging metal cooking


utensils on Monday morning. From midnight on Friday, London was thrown into Tier 2 lockdown meaning individuals from different households are banned from mixing indoors - even in hospitality


venues - with outdoor socially distanced mingling permitted for groups of up to six. The shock restrictions, which were announced less than 48 hours earlier, mean 200,000 potential job


losses for hospitality workers in central London alone. Critics have warned the lockdown puts in force a 'maximum squeeze on revenue and no support' for struggling businesses and


employees. Almost a third of restaurants and pubs in England are set to be affected by the tougher tier curbs - more than 8,500 venues and 5,000 pubs.  Mr Ottolenghi, 51, a chef and food


writer who owns six restaurants in London, said the new Tier 2 restrictions in the capital will 'kill viable businesses'. He said: 'It's really hard, we've got a


great industry with lots of heart, and nobody works in the hospitality industry to get rich, we do it because we love what we're doing - and there's so many people who depend on


it.'  Mr Ottolenghi, who has been writing recipe books while being unable to cook as usual during lockdown, said: 'We really really need proper Government support for our staff if


we're going to carry on, because otherwise we just won't be able to.' The chef said he would prefer a circuit-breaker lockdown with support similar to the furlough scheme


rather than see the industry 'killed' by 'tiered' restrictions.  Almost a third of restaurants and pubs in England will be affected by the tougher tier curbs introduced


tonight - more than 8,500 venues and 5,000 pubs. Pubs which serve very little food are expected to have suffered the most through the pandemic so far, due to not having benefitted from the


'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme which saw a cut on food VAT. Now pubs under Tier 3 - the harshest lockdown level affecting Liverpool and Lancashire -  will also now be forced to stop


serving alcohol if they're not serving a 'substantial meal' along with it.  Max Ruddle, a farmer who supplies restaurants and bars in London, was protesting against the lack


of financial support for the whole supply chain, while protesters wearing face coverings waved signs reading: 'Boris you're barred' and 'Today's Special:


Poverty'. Mr Ruddle, 32, said: 'We're making a noise so that they over there (politicians in Parliament) can start creating solutions instead of making more problems. 'We


just need a bit of support so we can keep supporting our families. 'When one (restaurant) closes, it has a knock-on effect, and the chain reaction is devastating.' Ronnie Murray,


executive chef for events industry firm Camm and Hooper, who serve six venues in London, said he has been relying on the furlough scheme since March. Wearing chef whites and a toque, he


said: 'I don't know whether we're going to be made redundant, whether something's going to happen or not - it's not looking great. 'It looks like lots of


restrictions have been put in place without anyone in the industry being consulted, we've not been able to advise the Government on what would work better.' London Mayor Sadiq Khan


also voiced his support for protesters who are 'deeply anxious about their future'. He said: 'The 80% furlough scheme was a lifeline for many businesses at the start of the


pandemic, and it is this level of support London's hospitality sector now needs to prevent further widespread unemployment and ensure this world-leading sector can return to business


when the virus is under control. 'Until the Government gets a grip on this virus, ministers have an obligation to give businesses the support they need to survive while restrictions


remain in place.'