COVID-19: Pub and restaurant apps risk discriminating against older people without smartphones, charity says | UK News

Seniors who do not have smartphones are at risk of discrimination in pubs and restaurants by using online ordering, a charity has warned.

With exterior hospitality is open again As lockdown becomes easier, some sites require customers to use an app to minimize contact with staff.

Half of those 65 to 74 and 70% of those over 75 will be excluded because they don’t have a smartphone, according to Age UK.

David Walters, 78, told the Daily Telegraph that such policies were “aging” after being denied service at a Northumberland pub.

He said he was told to order through the app and also to use a phone to submit contact details for NHS Test and Trace.

“Older people like me don’t have this computer knowledge because we weren’t raised with computers,” he told the newspaper.

The owner of the pub in question, The Angel of Corbridge, said he and his staff were doing their best to keep people safe and that this was a temporary measure until domestic hospitality hopefully resumes next month.

The government says sites must have a way for people to give out their contact details if they don’t have a smartphone or other device, for example by using paper files.

“You need to ensure that there is a registration method that does not rely on the customer’s use of a smartphone or other technology so as not to digitally exclude people without access to those technologies,” indicates official guidelines.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said the increase in app orders “risks widening the digital divide and reducing opportunities for some older people to enjoy socializing again.”

“We fully understand the need for sites to pay attention to infection control, but it would be helpful for their bottom line, as well as for the elderly, to ensure that smartphone use is not a requirement. prior to the purchase of a drink or a meal “. she said.

Almost a quarter of people over 75 in England have increased their online activity since the start of the pandemic, according to a report from …