“It is what it is” – The Salford pub keeping its doors closed until May

A Salford pub has made the decision to stay closed until May to prevent turning eager patrons away.

The Union Tavern, on Liverpool Street, would love to re-open but does not have enough outdoor space to meet the still-stringent Covid restrictions.

Like other local pubs it was forced to shut its doors due to Greater Manchester’s Tier 3 restrictions in October.

Now, despite government rules allowing outdoor dining to take place, landlord Carl Grayson has chosen to delay reopening until next month.

He said: “In the period of a year, I’ve probably been open for a couple of months, if that.

“If I did reopen, though, I could only have a small amount of people outside and a lot of people would probably arrive here who I’d have to turn away, which I feel is unfair on them.”

In addition to the Union Tavern’s spatial restrictions, Mr Grayson is aware of the safety precautions required to reopen.

He explained: “I’m a bit nervous about it because there will still be restrictions.

“I don’t serve food or anything like that – we’re a drinkers’ pub.

“The last time we opened, you could only have a certain amount of people in the pub at one time. There was social distancing, people had to wear masks if they stood up, and I had to serve everyone from the bar.

“But it is what it is, and it isn’t only us in pubs – it’s restaurants, if you go to the theatre, sporting events – it will all be marshalled.”

Regardless of the ‘stressful’ process, he is looking forward to welcoming patrons to the Union Tavern once again.

He said: “We’ve been here since 1985 as a family, so a lot of our regular customers are people we know.

“I don’t serve food or anything like that – we’re a drinkers’ pub.

“Hopefully in a year’s time we might be back to normal!”

Updates on the Union Tavern’s reopening can be found on Facebook or the pub’s website.