Tourism body in campaign to respect safety of hospitality staff and customers

Posters have been designed for display in hospitality and culture venues, highlighting the importance of fresh air and ventilation in reducing Covid transmission.

The joint campaign, by the union federation and the tourism body, was created after concerns that certain health messaging about ventilation was not necessarily being responded to.

TUC Regional Secretary Bill Adams said: “We are experts in the world of health and safety, and we encourage all employers to work with us to support their staff.

"We know that fresh air and ventilation indoors is one of the key factors that reduces Covid transmission, and the TUC and Welcome to Yorkshire are promoting this important message together.

“People are excited to get out and have a good time, but that should never be at the expense of customer or workers’ health and safety. We’re asking everyone to think about that before they close windows or doors deliberately left open by staff.”

Government data shows that 44 per cent of the hospitality and tourism workforce is aged between 16-34, and the majority of this age group has not yet been vaccinated, despite lockdown restrictions being lifted for the industry.

Welcome to Yorkshire CEO James Mason said: “As we enter the summer months and approach the time when further restrictions may be lifted across the UK, we should still be mindful that air circulation is a key factor to keeping staff and customers virus free.

Therefore, in conjunction with the TUC, we are providing posters which all businesses can download to help promote this message in venues and workplaces across Yorkshire.”

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