The Hunts Post spoke to The Three Tuns, in Fen Drayton and The Barley Mow, in Hartford, about reopening after 12 weeks in lockdown.

Francis and Lois Barreto, who run the The Three Tuns thought people adapted well to the changes in their pub on July 4.

Mrs Barreto said: “People did adhere to social distancing and adapted well to the new environment.

“We limited the amount of customers we had for the first weekend so the staff and customers alike could get use to the new normal. It worked really well and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces.

“We were no where near full but this was through choice, as we get more confident with our new environment we will increase the amount of people we allow in the future.”

Before The Three Tuns Pub opened Mrs and Mr Barreto carried out a risk assessment of the pub and put procedures in place.

These included yellow squares on the floor in high flow areas where only one member of staff/customer can enter the square at any one time.

They also created a new one way system inside the pub which prevents people from crossing over each other and enable them to control where people sit and enter.

The pub also has strictly table service only and people pay for their drinks through an APP on their phones. Everyone is required to book a table inside and out, regardless of whether they are eating or drinking or both.

If they do not own a smart phone, they will be able to call us and to pay over the phone.

Mrs Barreto explains how hard it was for business being closed during lockdown she said: “It has been overwhelming, we have managed to keep ticking over by offering a take-away service, but it has been a real struggle managing cash flow.

“We were fortunate in being able to receive a grant from the Government but the main issue will be being able to maintain cash flow now we are open.”

The Barley Mow, in Hartford, has decided to open its doors today (July 8).

Jenny Williams explained the slightly delayed opening, saying: “There are a couple of reasons for this, it is not as simple as switching on the lights and opening.

“We have had a lot of unused beer which has to be disposed of by the Environment Agency.

“We are also doing a trial run before opening on Wednesday, where we will be giving training to our staff.

“We have PPE equipment such as masks available for our staff to wear and they will be temperature checked every morning.

“We will have a screen up in place at the bar, to protect staff and customers when they come to pay for their meal.

“I prefer the idea of visors so that I can still talk to my customers when I greet them, as I have a lot of elderly customers.”