TWENTY-THREE people who visited a Newport bar where it is alleged there was “total disregard” to social distancing tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

Breeze in Cambrian Road is facing a licence review after it was alleged to have breached coronavirus regulations on Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5.

A review application submitted by Newport City Council’s trading standards says CCTV footage shows “a total disregard to social distancing” in the upstairs VIP area on these dates.

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According to a council report, the CCTV footage shows: “People routinely move around from table to table, group to group, handshakes, embraces and kissing between customers is commonplace.

“The premises operated as a late night bar, just like one that would have operated pre-Covid-19,” the review application states.

“The result is positive Covid-19 cases forming the cluster originating from the premises.

“It is already recognised that the irresponsible behaviour has an extremely detrimental effect on our local communities including local lockdowns, which has now taken place in Newport.”

But owner of the bar, Jack Bannister, said he took “all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of patrons”.

“To say we are responsible for a cluster and helped contribute to a local lockdown is completely and utterly absurd,” he said.

Dr Arif Mahmood, a consultant in public health at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said its test, trace and protect team recorded 23 positive coronavirus cases from people who visited Breeze on September 4 and September 5.

All of these people were from Newport.

“By Breeze disregarding the regulations in the upstairs VIP area on September 4 and 5, this could have contributed to increased risk of wider community transmission,” Dr Mahmood said.

Police constable Rhiannon Hurst, of Gwent Police, said she believes the upstairs of the bar was being run ‘irresponsibly.’

“The data I was provided with shows via track and trace work that 12 cases had been confirmed at a garden party in Newport and of this number, 42 per cent of them had been inside Breeze at the material time,” she said.

“If measures had been properly implemented and followed at Breeze, it is likely that Covid-19 would not have spread in the way that it did between customers and would then not have been transmitted into the wider community at garden parties and beyond.

“Soon after this cluster, Newport was put into a local lockdown.”

Others have provided statements supporting the venue though, stating that coronavirus regulations were being followed when they visited.

The application for review says that when Breeze was notified of an outbreak linked to the premises, it took “responsible action” and closed for two days, allowing the bar to be deep cleaned.

It also said the bar was “broadly compliant” since re-opening after the lockdown.

The review will be considered by Newport council’s licensing sub-committee on Tuesday, November 10.

Several options will be considered, including taking no action, suspending the premises licence and revoking it.