England wakes to day two of post-lockdown life

101

View
comments

Pubgoers are nursing a hangover today after raising a glass to the end of England’s lockdown last night – despite Boris Johnson’s diktat that they must have a ‘substantial meal’ to soak up the booze.

Revellers took to the streets of Tier 2 towns and cities across the country to enjoy a drink with their household inside, or with their friends outside.

Londoners enjoyed a night of largely al fresco drinking and eating, with many businesses fully booked, as people toasted a tiny taste of freedom after four-weeks in lockdown. Queues stretched around the block outside some pubs in Soho and east London. 

Many appeared to already have spent the day storming shops to grab pre-Christmas bargains in the West End on Wild Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to hit the shops again today.

Outside the capital, Liverpool was particularly busy after being dropped down from Tier 3 – but neighbouring Manchester’s pubs, bars and restaurants, usually teeming with people in December were quiet and either closed or only open for takeaway.

Despite the Government telling pubs and bars that drinkers must have a ‘substantial meal’ with alcohol, photographs from last night suggest that not everyone was eating. 

Boris Johnson has imposed strict lockdown tiers on 99 per cent of England, with 55million people banned from socialising with other people indoors until next year. Only Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly have been placed in Tier 1 despite infections falling in almost every corner of the country. 

Mr Johnson’s slight loosening of lockdown came as:

• 50 hospitals are primed for Britain’s biggest-ever vaccination programme – Operation Panacea – where Pfizer Covid jabs will be rolled out from Monday at 7am;
• Education Secretary Gavin Williamson refuses to cancel GCSE and A-Level exams next year – but they will be marked more generously;
• Matt Hancock and even the PM may be vaccinated on live TV to convince people to be vaccinated in 2021; 
• Professor Jonathan Van-Tam warned that face masks could be necessary ‘for years’ in press conference where Boris Johnson interrupted to reassure that life will get ‘back to normal’ soon; 

Bars and restaurants reported strong trade after those under Tier 2 restrictions were allowed to re-open for the first time in a month.

However, this came with the caveat that drinks could only be served with a substantial meal amid much debate over whether this could include a scotch egg.

Landlords were using ingenious ways to get around the rules, including one in Worcester who opened for drinks as long as people ordered food from the chippy next door.

People queued outside Wetherspoon outlets in many locations from early in the morning, including some keen to enjoy a pint with their cooked breakfast.

Restrictions say that those eating indoors at pubs in Tier 2 areas should only do so with members of their own household or bubble. In outdoor areas – like pub beer gardens – groups of up to six can meet.

Bars, pubs and restaurants must say shut in Tier 3 areas.

Retailers were able to open across the country. 

Tumbling temperatures did not deter friends in Tier 2 from meeting at bars and restaurants for the first time in a month – and as darkness fell on London many were pictured tucking into their ‘substantial meal’ al fresco.

The three alert levels of varying degrees of strictness that today replaced the national lockdown manifested in strikingly different social scenes across English towns and cities.

In Tier 3 areas such as Manchester, where pubs and restaurants can only open for takeaways, a usually vibrant pub scene was muted.

Whereas the two per cent of people living under the loosest measures in Tier 1 – only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – celebrated in the pubs with only the 11pm curfew and the Rule of Six to deal with.

The suite of rules clamped on pubs means today’s reopening is worlds away from the wild Super Saturday in July when bars welcomed back punters after the first lockdown.  

Many pubs in Tier 2 have erected al fresco dining areas to accommodate customers wanting to meet friends from another household.

In London’s Soho district, some venues put up gazebos to shield people from the cold, as well as installing heaters.

Pub-goers in England were wrapped up in scarves and woolly hats as the continued ban on households mixing indoors for most of the country forced punters to brave chilly outdoor seating areas. 

But the tumbling temperatures did not deter friends in Tier 2 from meeting at bars and restaurants for the first time in a month.

Boris Johnson yesterday gave his backing to savvy pub landlords who are using takeaways as a way of providing customers with a ‘substantial meal’.

Downing Street has given the thumbs-up for ‘wet pubs’ – which do not normally serve meals – to team up with local fast food outlets in order to carry on pulling pints.

However a spokesman said pubs must be in an agreement with ‘local restaurants’ in order to keep within England’s new Covid Tier 2 rules.

Punters will not be allowed to bring their own food into a pub – pouring cold water on plans to use food delivery services such as Deliveroo.

New rules, which came into force in England today, mean landlords in Tier 2 areas can only sell alcoholic beverages with a ‘substantial meal’.

But the rules have left landlords at kitchen-less pubs facing a dilemma – with some turning to serving takeaway food in a bid to keep the pints flowing.

One pub in Worcester today joined forces with a local fish and chip shop to provide food to drinkers.

Meanwhile a bar in central London is planning to allow customers order McDonald’s as a way of getting around the rules.

However Downing Street today said pub-goers and landlords would need to exercise their judgement in deciding what complied with the coronavirus restrictions.

Asked whether Deliveroo orders could be sent to pubs to comply with the requirement to have a ‘substantial meal’ in Tier 2 areas, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said customers were banned from bringing in food purchased elsewhere.

‘It’s for both customers and venues to act reasonably and to exercise good judgement when adhering to these regulations,’ the spokesman said.

‘But businesses that do not ordinarily serve food may enter into a contracting arrangement with other local restaurants, for example, in order that they are able to do so and remain open.

‘However, allowing customers to bring food into the premises that has been purchased elsewhere in order to consume alcohol remains prohibited.’

It comes after a row emerged over whether a scotch egg could be classed as a ‘substantial meal’ under rules only allowing alcohol to be served with food.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told LBC two scotch eggs would be ‘a starter’, 24 hours after Environment Secretary George Eustice said one is a substantial meal.

Mr Gove reiterated his stance on LBC in a second interview on Good Morning Britain yesterday – before backtracking and then telling ITV News: ‘A scotch egg is a substantial meal.’

The law says a substantial meal is ‘might be expected to be served as breakfast, the main midday or main evening meal, or as a main course at such a meal’.

Some pubs have now brought out new menus, with one offering a ‘Boris Menu’ of £1.99 meals – while Wetherspoon has launched a new breakfast muffin range.

Landlords accused the Government of providing ‘no clarity’ on the substantial meal rule.

One Essex pub has launched a new £1.99 simplified food menu so that customers can enjoy alcoholic drinks, but do not have to spend lots of money or have a large meal.

Named ‘The Boris Menu’, The Kings Head in Gosfield is offering plates such as a hotdog and chips; baked beans on toast with cheese; and cheeseburger and chips.

Pub owner Matthew Arnold, 38, told Essex Live: ‘Every time a new regulation is implemented it incurs a lot of time and cost for pubs to abide.

‘It’s the frustration that prompted the menu idea initially at the same time as catering for customers that don’t necessarily want a large and costly meal each time they want to visit us.’

Meanwhile the Wetherspoon pub chain has launched a new breakfast menu, including a muffin range and reducing the price of coffee and tea to 99p.

Customers can choose from four new breakfast muffins – egg and bacon; egg and sausage; breakfast (with bacon and sausage); and egg and cheese.

Other pubs have resorted to writing long lists of rules on their website to help keep customers safe.

Tailors, in Cambray Place, Cheltenham, has put a list of 17 things customers should know before they enter the watering hole.

The list includes a recommendation to book a table in advance, rules about seating and a warning that customers who are sitting outside will not be given refunds for unfinished meals and drinks if the weather turns bad.

Other pubs in Tier 2 have said they will not be opening at all, despite being allowed to.

The Royal Standard near Weymouth will stay closed according to a post on its Facebook page.

It said: ‘Well after the announcement, we have taken the heart breaking decision to unfortunately remain closed until the next review on Friday 16th December.

‘We had planned to restart our food but the limitations of the guidelines have forced us to make this decision. On behalf of the whole team here we thank you for your continued support and hope to see you all again very soon.

‘Stay safe gang and we’ll be back bigger and better.’

Another pub, also named the Royal Standard, this time in Yeovil, is also remaining closed.

In a post on its Facebook page, it said: ‘Following on from the announcements of the new Tiers being brought into place.

‘It is with a heavy heart that we will not be reopening on the 3rd December as planned.

‘As soon as we go back into Tier one we will be opening our doors to all of our lovely customers once again!’

Meanwhile punters were yesterday enjoying the return of pubs. Intensive care nurses Juan Garcia, 27, and Francisco Sanchez, 28, had come straight to the pub from a nightshift at a nearby hospital.

The pair, originally from Spain, were tucking into breakfast muffins alongside a pint of orange juice.

‘We’ve just finished working a night-shift so we came straight here for breakfast, which feels nice,’ said Mr Garcia.

Mr Sanchez added: ‘It’s a bit of a tradition actually. It’s good to be back But I’m not getting a beer because if I did I think I’d pass out after all that time working.’

Mr Garcia said he did not understand the point of forcing people to have a meal with their drink.

‘I don’t know what the point of that is. If you want more drinks you can just go from pub to pub,’ he said.

‘It’s not going to work – like many of the things that they’ve been doing.’