TRULY's of Westbourne has been forced to close after half of its staff have been told to isolate.

The restaurant on Seamoor Road had to shut its doors on Monday July 26 as staff, including the diner's two chefs, are unable to work as people they live with have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.

As currently no members of staff have tested positive, owner Lauren Reading is hopeful the restaurant can reopen again safely next week but admits it is a waiting game.

“At the moment, we are very much in limbo,” she said.

“The first thing is that two of our chefs are having to isolate because separately the people they are living with have tested positive.

“The plan is to reopen next week but the worry is that they will contract the virus and test positive and then we would have to be closed for longer.”

Having been fully booked since welcoming back customers inside the restaurant from May 19, Lauren says she has had to make “some difficult decisions” in order to keep both staff and customers safe.

She added: “We have been fully booked every night since we have reopened which has really helped us get back on our feet after being closed for so long.

“I thought that closing would be cheaper and better than calling in temporary staff and cover.

“Temporary chefs are very expensive, but they won’t just be needed for service. They would still need to do the menus, prep and stock.

“There is also the worry of letting customers down by serving them dishes that are not the same quality as what we normally do.”

So long as one of their chefs doesn’t test positive, the restaurant plans to reopen again next week, but with a restricted menu and reduced capacity.

Since revealing to their customers on Monday afternoon of the reasons behind the closure, Lauren has been busy contacting bookings, via email and phone, to inform them that their reservation has had to be cancelled.

She said: “We had to endure such a horrible 16 months and there seemed as though there was light at the end of the tunnel. It felt as though we were almost back to normal and then bang, we are closed again

“Our customers have been really lovely and very understanding of the situation. They have been very supportive and, in many cases, have said that they wish they could help in some way.

“However, I feel that I'm letting people down. We are a small intimate restaurant and a lot of our customers come here for birthday, anniversaries and other celebrations.

“I almost feel that it is my fault. I know obviously that it isn’t but, emotionally, the pressure to make these decisions has been unbearable.”