ANOTHER Chester restaurant has had to close its doors to the public temporarily due to Covid.

A number of hospitality venues have sadly had to close their doors temporarily this week in the city centre, as a result of staff testing positive for Covid or being told to isolate for 10 days as a result of coming into contact with a positive case.

They include Stile Napoletano, Opera Grill, The Church bar, The Secret Garden (and accompanying Townhouse Hotel), Zuger's, Telford's Warehouse, 1539 and Artichoke.  

Chez Jules on Northgate Street is the latest venue to announce it will not be able to have people dining inside its establishment for the next few days, after several of its team members were told to self-isolate from Test and Trace.

However, the restaurant has added, through its messages on social media, it will still be able to offer takeaway meals during this time.

In a statement, the restaurant said: "It is with a very heavy heart that we have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close our restaurant from Friday, June 18, after some of our team members have been advised to isolate by the Test and Trace.

"As we don't want to compromise our high standards, we feel this is the best decision for both our guests and our hard-working team.

"We will be offering our takeaway this weekend to at least offer you Chez Jules at home. Please book your meal via our website.

"If you have a reservation with us during the next few days, our team will be in touch with you personally to rearrange.

"We are truly sorry to make the decision over Father's Day weekend but we thank you for your understanding."

Elsewhere, The Architect on Nuns Road and the Grosvenor Arms in Aldford have announced they will still be open this weekend with a reduced capacity, after some of their respective team membrs have been told to isolate.

A statement posted on both pubs' Facebook pages said: "We have had a few of our crew contacted by NHS Test and Trace as 'close contacts' and so as a consequence, we have acted swiftly and now have a number of our team self-isolating for the next 10 days.

"The safety of our crew and customers is, as always, our number one priority.

"Booking wise, we’ve just had to peg things back a little this weekend too; we’d much rather do what we can do, really well, even if that means doing a little less than usual."

As a result, no additional bookings are being taken for Saturday or Sunday, but walk-ins are a possibility for Saturday.

The statement adds: "We're so sorry for any inconvenience this causes, and hope you understand we have taken these steps to ensure the safety of our crew and customers, above all else, as well as wanting to keep our doors open and offer as much as we can.

"Thank you for your understanding and support during this tricky time."