Leeds lockdown lifting: Night marshals to patrol city centre enforcing social distancing when bars and pubs reopen

The council's team will support the police in enforcing social distancing rules as hospitality venues reopen, no earlier than April 12.

Under the Government's road map out of lockdown, people will be required to stick to social distancing when outdoor hospitality first reopens.

Outdoor socialisation will be limited to groups of six people or two different households.

The council's chief executive Tom Riordon said he wants people to 'enjoy themselves' when the hospitality sector opens up.

But he warns the council will be working closely with venues and the police to ensure that people follow the guidelines.

Speaking during a council briefing on coronavirus in Leeds, Mr Riordon said: "We're going to be working with the hospitality sector to make sure that we can get a safe an environment as possible.

"That will include the marshals, it will include working with each of the establishments to make sure we can have the safe outdoor spaces in place and adherence to the rules.

"Not having the need to serve meals, and not having the curfew, the early closing time, I think will help make it a bit more practically deliverable this time."

Mr Riordon added that many of the city's pubs and restaurants have made huge investments to introduce Covid-safe measures into their venues.

He added: "We hope that investment will pay off so we can allow people to enjoy a really pleasant experience getting back into the hospitality sector.

"We'll be working closely with them to make sure the conditions are right to do that and working with the police to get the behaviours right as people are leaving.

"We want people to enjoy themselves, but doing that in the respectful way that we know we will need."

The council's director of public health warned that lifting coronavirus restrictions will be more challenging than last summer, as rates of infection remain high.

Mr Riordon praised the "fantastic" success of the vaccination programme and said that it was vital to prepare the city for reopening before the vaccination has an impact on case numbers.

He said: "There are some people who would really want to open up straight away because the case levels are going down, and other people who would leave it as long as possible.

“The road map tries to steer that course between the science and getting case levels as low as possible and the wonderful vaccination programme.

“It's a fantastic success story, 202,000 people in Leeds have now been vaccinated and more to come.

"The focus for us now is using the time that we have, before the March opening of schools and then the reopening of other parts of the economy, to plan properly."

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