LONDON – Perhaps nothing is as essential to British culture as a pub.
British beer drinkers have been deprived of their usual places since the country abruptly closed in March when the coronavirus pandemic spread.
Dotted in almost every corner, pubs are part of the fabric of British life: a place to meet, chat and drink. But for the past few months, the British have been forced to drink at home.
That will change on Saturday, when pubs in England can officially reopen, a date that many revelers call “Independence Day” and which the tabloid press calls “Super Saturday.”
Pubs in Scotland and Wales are expected to reopen later this month, while they reopened in Northern Ireland on Friday.
Bar stools will be dusted off, counter tops will be re-lit with disinfectant and homes will be lit, as pubs prepare to open their doors, with many delighted dry pubers.
“We want to be human again,” Ian Snowball, a bar owner, told NBC News.
“There is a real emotion,” he said. “They want to let their hair down.”
Snowball, the owner of the Showtime bar in the city of Huddersfield, in the north of England, wastes no time and reopens its doors on Saturday morning.
His establishment can normally accommodate around 500 people, but due to restrictions, with people needing to stay at least 3 feet away, he hopes to squeeze about 175 customers.
The drinkers of his family establishment, opened in 2018, must register their names and addresses at the reception upon entry, to be tracked and tracked in case the virus is detected later, and take their temperature before entering the main bar.
They will then be led to a numbered table with floor markings that create clear one-way trails. Although the restrooms will be open, cameras will be used throughout the building to ensure no crowds build up.
Snowball admits that the atmosphere may feel “moderate” compared to pre-virus life, but says he hopes people are happy to go out again.
“There will be a massive demand,” he cheerfully predicts, adding that local police had already promised to provide additional patrols in the area over the weekend, in the event that joy turned into antisocial behavior.
Police forces across England have warned partygoers to drink sensibly and to be mindful of the remaining social distancing restrictions. Authorities are eager to avoid a repeat of the scenes last month when thousands ignored the safety guidelines and flocked to the English coast during hot weather.
The British National Health Service, which is still feeling the strain of the coronavirus, is concerned that heavy drinkers may stretch services.
“It would be heartbreaking to see Emergency Departments overwhelmed the first night after closing by people who got too drunk or were in a fight,” said Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
According to the British Beer and Pubs Association, a trade body, around 80 percent of the 37,500 pubs in England are likely to reopen.
But despite being revered within British society, pubs have declined in recent years, closing as rents rise, supermarkets heavily discount beers, and health-conscious younger generations drift away from alcohol. .
But the pandemic has been fatal for many pubs, as homeowners across the country have been forced to dump and discard at least 70 million pints of beer since the shutdown began, estimates the British Beer and Pub Association.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalized with the coronavirus in April, urged the country not to overdo it this weekend when the shutdown is eased.
Meanwhile, as a show of support, Prince William made his way to his local Norfolk pub on Friday, near the Royal Sandringham Estate, to grab a cider and chat with bar staff about his experiences during the pandemic.
Beauty salons, restaurants and museums will also reopen on Saturday as the British economy begins to emerge from the public health crisis, which has killed nearly 44,000 people, according to official figures.
The UK has one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in the world.
While Leicester, a city in central England, has re-imposed its closure restrictions after a local outbreak this week, proof that the deadly virus is still lurking.
Not all pubs are eager to dip their toes in this weekend.
The Red Lion and Sun, a pub in North London, has decided to keep its doors closed to customers, but will serve takeaway drinks.
“No one wants to open pubs more than I do, but we must do it safely for you, our customers and our staff,” wrote owner Heath Ball on Instagram. “We won’t jump again on July 4 … people with bills over a pound.”
Lawrence Ambrose, 51, is sipping a pint of Guinness at his local London pub. But he said he expects Saturday to be “a crazy melee” with big drunken crowds and busy public transportation, and he still fears the virus.
“I’m not going to run away on Saturday, it will be crazy,” he told NBC News.
