Covid 19 - latest update

Hi all, here's our latest update on our next steps to help protect our staff and customers in these unprecedented times.

As per the current Government guidance, we have remained open here at The Bell Inn but ensured any customers who have chosen to visit us practise social distancing as far as possible. We’ve done this by:

• Moving tables so customers can sit further apart (maintaining the 1 to 2m distance recommended)

• Increased cleaning of all surfaces between customer visits and shifts

• Giving customers extra serviettes so they can use these to touch surfaces instead of using their hands

The pub has of course been much quieter than usual, so this has helped us keep up with these regimes and demonstrates that people are taking the Government guidance on board. However, to ensure we can continue to make sure we do our bit we are planning to introduce the following to help us manage the social distancing best practice:

• If you are coming in for food, you MUST PLEASE BOOK, or we may only be able to provide you with a takeaway option/not be able to serve you at all

By doing this, we can maintain the social distancing and better plan our staffing levels. One of our key aims is to keep all our staff in their jobs and fully paid, but we are asking them to use some of their paid leave allowance in our quieter times to help us sustain the business, and they are being brilliant by agreeing to do this. There will therefore be times when we are not serving food at all, or only a limited offering, but if you book we can hopefully ensure you visit when it’s both safe and we can offer you the best possible service.

The safety of our staff and customers is paramount and to protect everyone we have taken the decision to completely cancel our Mothering Sunday Carvery. We apologise to those who were still booked in and have contacted you all separately to let you know. We will now not be open on Sunday at lunchtime this week.

As the situation develops, we are making decisions daily regarding opening hours and being here for customers who have told us it remains important to them to be able to visit so they don’t feel isolated or are able to get a meal. We have some customers currently using our takeaway service, as they live alone and we can offer them a hot meal daily. Where possible they are currently collecting their orders, but we will switch to delivery if they need to self-isolate entirely or Government advice changes.

We’ve been approached by the local community Covid-19 response group to be the central point of contact for Monkleigh and Saltrens and so will keep our doors open to the community for this purpose if they need anything and those who have volunteered to help respond to the crisis can also come in and pick up resources.

We plan to also start a new grocery service, which will enable people in Monkleigh and Saltrens to order basic supplies from us, which one of our trusted suppliers can get to us daily. You can then collect your order (we’ll bring it out to you in the car park if you’d prefer not to come into the building), or we can deliver if you are self-isolating. This will include bread, milk, vegetables and other household items. We will have an order form on our website and more details soon, plus one you can print and post to any neighbours or family who may not be online.

We hope this strikes the right balance between following Government guidance and being here for our community. As Government advice changes, we will of course revise our activity accordingly. We wish all our customers and our community a very safe passage through this trying time and remember, we’re on the end of the phone if you, or a neighbour, needs help: 01805 938285.