A popular French restaurant has had to shut after a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19.

Birdies, in Whitstable, has closed for 10 days following the positive case.

The long-running Harbour Street restaurant announced the news in a post on its Facebook page this afternoon.

It added: "We apologies for any inconveniences. We will be back as soon as possible!"

The closure comes as some pub and restaurant bosses have described ongoing Covid isolation rules faced by the industry as “bonkers”.

Social distancing rules are set to come to an end on July 19 - also known as "freedom day" - which will see nightclubs allowed to fully reopen and the one-metre rule and table service requirement in pubs dropped.

But regulations continue to require that all employee contacts of a colleague who tests positive also have to isolate - regardless of whether they have been double-jabbed and test negative.

It means that businesses still struggling to get back on their feet are now having to send staff home, which has already forced five Shepherd Neame pubs to close.

They currently include the Bishop’s Finger in Canterbury, with the Duke of Cumberland in Whitstable and the Alma at Painters Forstal just reopening following staff isolation.

The owner of Canterbury’s biggest nightclubs - Club Chemistry and Toyko Tea Rooms - says it’s a “massive relief” to finally be fully opening with no restrictions.

And already tickets for events at both venues have been sold out.

But boss Louise Jones-Roberts says the business has had to put in special measures to avoid falling foul of the isolation rules.

“They’re madness and I can’t see the logic in them,” she said.

“It’s already happened to us once and we had to close, so now we have implemented strict measures to minimise all contact between staff.

“To be honest, I just think ‘so be it’ and we are just glad to have some certainty going forward, which we desperately needed.”

Another pub boss, who did not want to be named, has also out spoken out after a single member of his staff tested positive for Covid this week and had to isolate.

Under the current rules, it has resulted in 65% of his other staff having to isolate for 10 days, even after testing negative.

“It’s absolutely bonkers and frankly will threaten to close many of us in hospitality,” he said.

“It’s just feels like another kick in the teeth when the trade is trying to get back on its feet and has been bending over backwards to meet all the requirements and challenges.”

The ongoing setback for businesses comes as Covid cases continue to soar in the district - up 183.3% on the previous week - but those aged under 30 now account for almost 90% of new infections.

The stark statistics have been driven by an outbreak at the University of Kent campus, with cases doubling to 125 students in the last week up to Monday.

Twenty-six more living in their own accommodation have also contracted the illness, along with two members of staff.

The numbers - which take the uni’s case total to 726 - are more than twice as big as its next-largest seven-day figure, which was recorded last week.

A university spokesman said: “As a precautionary measure we immediately cancelled all non-essential on-campus student activity and advised that all students who were able to do so (i.e. after producing a negative test) leave their on-campus accommodation and return home as soon as possible.

“The health and welfare of all our students, staff and visitors to our campus is our number-one priority at all times.”

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