Pub blames Covid-positive customer after forced to close

The owner of a Glasgow pub has expressed anger at having to shut his establishment down after a person who tested positive for coronavirus entered the premises.

Mark Lappin, owner of the Bag O’Nails pub on Dumbarton Road in the city’s West End, said he took the decision to temporarily close after receiving a call saying a customer had confirmed Covid-19.

Mr Lappin told STV News he had been informed the customer who tested positive had recently returned from a country on the quarantine list and should have been self-isolating.

He said: “It’s devastating. We have every measure in place and more.

“I am a wee bit annoyed. If you are told to isolate when you get back from holiday then you should isolate.

“It’s closed this business down until we get back onto our feet.”

Mr Lappin took the decision to close the pub earlier this week, saying his staff were worried about contracting the disease.

“I got a phone call from NHS24 and was asked to provide all the Test and Protect details for Saturday, August 22,” he said.

“All customers in this pub that night got an e-mail saying they had to self-isolate.”

Mr Lappin’s decision comes amid an increase in coronavirus cases in the Greater Glasgow area.

Scotland recorded 159 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, the second-highest daily total since May 16.

It marks the sixth day in a row new infections have been more than 100, taking total Covid-19 cases here over the course of the pandemic to more than 21,000.

People living in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire should not host or visit people from other households for the next two weeks.

They can, however, continue to meet members of different households outdoors and at venues such as pubs or restaurants, provided social distancing is maintained.