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New rules to help pubs, cafes and restaurants reopen outdoors safely in England on 12 April have sparked anger from industry groups.
All customers will have to sign in on entry, not just one member of the group like before. It is also unclear whether payment at the bar will be permitted.
UK Hospitality said it would burden struggling pubs and staff and risk customers deciding not to go out.
The BBC has contacted the Cabinet Office for a comment.
Under the new guidance, every customer aged 16 and over will have to check in to NHS test and trace before entering a venue, or give their contact details to staff.
Pubs and restaurants must take “reasonable steps” to stop people who won’t comply from coming in, or they could face fines.
In a joint statement, UK Hospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping said the rules would add “more confusion and inconvenience for customers and staff”.
They also warned if indoors payments were not permitted from 12 April, then some pubs, particularly in rural areas with poor broadband, would be unable to take payments at all.
And they warned that with the government also considering if “proof of immunity” should be another requirement for entry, “millions” of people could be put off going to pubs and venues at a time when the hospitality industry is struggling.
“Government has promised the country that we will be reopening but we are now being told that this will be with our hands tied behind our backs,” the groups said in a joint statement.
“Pubs will already be trading at a loss when they reopen with all the existing restrictions and Covid-secure measures in place. Adding further disproportionate and discriminatory measures threatens the very survival of thousands of businesses.”
Hospitality businesses have been hit particularly hard by lockdown closures and restrictions.
In the year to February, 368,000 payroll jobs were lost in the accommodation and food service sectors, according to official figures. The next worst hit sector was retail where 123,000 jobs were lost.
