For the writer Samuel Johnson, “there was nothing yet invented by man, by which as much happiness as a good tavern was produced.” And Shakespeare also captured the sentiment: a “Henry V” character wants to be “in a London brewery,” reasoning, “I would give all my fame for a mug of beer and security.”
Pubs are the beating heart of Britain, a national institution as vital as The Bard’s own writings. But for the first time since World War II, beer and security have become mutually exclusive products, and as a result, millions have been banned from their premises since mid-March.
“I missed going to the pub with my peers, as any British person would,” says Akwasi Akoto, 25. But England finally returned to the pub on Saturday, the first day of the latest and most significant reduction in the country’s closing restrictions. . Those in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales must wait longer to return to their premises.
But if the first pints thrown in months represent a national celebration, it is a silent and awkward celebration. The experience is very different: social distancing is mandatory and only table service is allowed, so the typical sight of punters stabbed shoulder to shoulder in the bar after work remains a pre-pandemic memory.
And despite mounting ambivalence toward the shutdown in recent weeks, public health concerns remain in the country, which has suffered one of Europe’s deadliest Covid-19 outbreaks. Even in the UK beer gardens, many are angry at how their country got their coronavirus response so wrong.
“What makes it so dystopian is that the staff is wearing such heavy PPE just to bring you a drink,” Akoto, who walked through the doors of a London pub shortly after 10 am, told CNN. “It feels a little forgiving and a little selfish, I felt selfish being there.” For the thousands who placed an order on Saturday, many more stayed away.
But the day marked a kind of catharsis for others, and the mood was joyous among those who crossed the threshold to their favorite taverns. “He wanted a bit of normality,” says Craig Sartwright, explaining his decision to venture into a pub in Clapham, south London, where he stays away from other drinkers.
“I definitely feel like people have missed the pubs, especially some of the most vulnerable in our society,” adds Owen Reed, a staff member at a Wetherspoons pub in Bedworth, central England. “Many of our clients are older and sometimes do not have close family and friends.
“Sometimes going into the pub to see us is the only human contact they will have all day or more.”
‘This is all very worrying’
As with everything else, drinking in the coronavirus era feels different.
Bar patrons across the country were asked for contact information before they could log in, to help with Covid-19 contact tracking in case someone subsequently tested positive. In many establishments, plastic screens were installed and cups were exchanged for disposable cups.
“We have tried in our efforts not to make the pub overly clinical and completely upbeat,” the Southampton Arms in North London told its clients. And most importantly for homeowners across the country whose finances were affected by the pandemic, the locations were running significantly below capacity.
But despite the industry’s best attempts, it was almost inevitable that the reopening day, dubbed “Super Saturday,” was tense.
“At 10:30 there was a guy riding his electric scooter in Spoons,” says Akoto, referring to the popular low-cost chain Wetherspoons that many Britons affectionately know by their nickname. “The crazy and grumpy people you associate with British pubs, I’m sure anywhere they They are happily rubbing their hands together to get on it. “The chain has been criticized for the treatment it received from its staff during the pandemic and for its owner’s opposition to the blockade.
Britain’s pubs have not been forced to shut down en masse in living memory, and closing time was a painful process for owners, staff and drinkers alike, raising concerns that a country with a Such deep-rooted consumer culture would exceed Saturday.
“We have not left the house in three months essentially, we’ve been isolating. This is really the first time we can go out, “Bianca, a Clapham, South London resident, tells CNN outside an O’Neills pub.” I am concerned that not everyone has the same attitude as us. “
“I don’t think everyone is that sensible,” adds Phil Crossan. “There will be people who will stay out all night.”
Those concerns prompted Boris Johnson to hold a press conference on Friday afternoon in which he urged restraint, but many questioned whether Saturday’s opening was wise, and many institutions decided to ignore it entirely.
“We believe the government is ignoring the advice science is telling us,” Tollington Arms in North London told his clients on Twitter, announcing his decision to remain closed for now. “We cannot, in good conscience, open the pub when it is still possible to contract a deadly virus according to these guidelines.”
The Twelve Taps, in the city of Whitstable, in the south-east of England, added: “We don’t think we can implement social distancing in our bar, and since people are still dying from this virus, nothing we’ve read tells us. Convinces this is the right thing to do to encourage people into a small space, “he said.
“This is all very disturbing and quite maddening,” added the pub. “We do not believe that the government’s advice to the public and hospitality companies has been clear.”
“It is sooner than I would have thought they would be open,” adds Sartwright.
Other owners, meanwhile, were breathlessly waiting for the opportunity to welcome customers.
‘People have started to surrender’
It has always been true that the fastest way to understand Britain is to go to its pubs. And in many taverns across the country, Britain is angry.
“It is devastating,” says Bianca, who declined to provide her last name. “It has been quite difficult for me because my family is from Australia,” she adds. “Seeing how the UK has handled (the pandemic) has made me panic.”
“I think Dominic Cummings was the turning point,” says Bianca. “The closure definitely benefits the upper class of society and I think Cummings stressed that it can do whatever it wants.” Johnson has always denied that his assistant violated UK closure restrictions.
Pubs in England reopened along with a number of other businesses on Saturday, and restrictions on public meetings and internal meetings were also relaxed.
But Britain’s drive towards normality has not been easy; the city of Leicester was sent back to closure days earlier due to a localized outbreak, and other regions are being monitored as cases reappear.
“Like the time He continued, people have started to give up a little, “says Crossan.” We start strong, but keep it up and keep morale down the road, “adds Akoto.
“My friends and I have a habit of meeting in the parks now, and the weather is nice, so I definitely won’t be going back to the pub anytime soon.”
Concerns about social distancing.
But relaxing in a new kind of normality has not been easy. When Saturday came into full swing, and across the country, thousands of friends gathered in pubs for the first time in months, there were reports of drunken behavior and people ignoring the rules of social estrangement.
However, Inspector Craig Berry thanked “the majority of the public who have acted responsibly throughout Saturday.”
Police in Devon and Cornwall, in south-west England, said they had received more than 1,000 calls on Saturday from members of the public, mostly related to the “drinking-related disorder.”
One person shared a video from London’s popular Soho district, which appeared to show hundreds of people gathered outside. In the video, posted on Twitter just after 10 p.m., revelers can be seen in close contact as police patrol the area.
John Apter, national president of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said on Twitter on Saturday that it was “crystal clear” that “drunk people cannot / do not distance themselves socially.”
CNN’s Sara Spary contributed to this report.
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