A BRADFORD bar owner expects some form of Covid-19 restrictions to remain in place until Autumn and has called for “certainty” from the Government.

Keith Wildman, who runs The Record Café in North Parade, feels those in power must be clear and said we cannot return to a situation where the rules “change several times in a day”.

His bar - an award-winning establishment that offers unique beers, meat platters and also sells vinyls - has been closed throughout most of the the pandemic.

April 12 has offered a beacon of light on the horizon to those pubs and bars that have struggled through the Winter, with venues allowed to serve alcohol outdoors from that date.

But this gives no respite for The Record Café, which has a public footpath right outside its doors and Mr Wildman is even wary of opening before June 21 - when the Government hopes to remove all restrictions on social contact.

He said: “It wouldn’t be feasible to open outside only due to limited space and the restrictions we’d be under.

“It’s been 12 months of mainly being closed, and then open for a few months with the constant threat of closure over us.

“So I’m inclined to wait and see what happens as the country gradually unlocks, especially given the new lockdown in Europe.

“There’s been too many false dawns for me to get too excited just yet.”

The bar owner, who celebrated five years of The Record Café back in November 2019 - outlasting many establishments in the top of town that have come and gone in that time - even feels restrictions might stretch on longer than expected.

He said: “I’m expecting some kind of restrictions to be in place until at least the Autumn.

“It does create so much extra work for staff, and a lot more stress.

“I’ve seen negative reviews for places enforcing masks, social distancing and signing in, but really that’s helpful for the venues as it shows they won’t take any nonsense and are putting the safety of their customers and staff first.

“It does seem harsh that the same rules aren’t in place for the likes of shops and supermarkets, but the idea of hospitality is you’re in an enclosed area for a long period of time, whereas shopping, you’re in and out.

“If venues do have to open under continued restrictions for an extended period, then I’d like to see the compensation grants and flexible furlough extended to cover it.

“Whilst necessary, they create three to four times the workload for less than half of the revenue.”

Recently a fierce debate was sparked when the Government touted the idea of introducing "vaccine passports" for people to be allowed into venues, including pubs and bars.

Customers would have to show a coronavirus health certificate, which proves they have been jabbed, received negative tests, or developed antibodies through past infection.

Mr Wildman said earlier in the week he would be willing to try such a system, but only if it facilitated a return to normality.

He added: “It’s hard to say what is enough.

“Only the figures will tell us that.

“Whatever comes in, we’ll put into practice.

“I can see extraction being a requirement in the future.

“The key thing is we’d need to continue to be compensated, if it means we can’t operate at a viable capacity because of the guidelines.

“We’d also need as much certainty as possible.

“We can’t go back to a situation where the rules change several times in a day, or the threat of closure is hovering over us at the end of the week.

“You can’t operate hospitality like that.”