Curbs off, UK wakes up to muted ‘Freedom Day’
Revellers welcome the end of Covid-19 restrictions, but cases continue to go up
LONDON: Corks popped, beats boomed out and revellers rushed onto dance floors when England’s nightclubs reopened on Monday as the country lifted most remaining coronavirus restrictions after more than a year of lockdowns, mask mandates and other pandemic-related curbs on freedom.
For clubbers and nightclub owners, the moment lived up to its media-given moniker, “Freedom Day”. But the big step out of lockdown was met with nervousness by many Britons and concern from scientists, who say the UK is entering uncharted waters by opening up when confirmed Covid-19 cases are not falling but soaring.
As of Monday, face masks were no longer legally required in England, work-from-home guidance ended and, with social distancing rules shelved, no limits existed on the number of people attending theatre performances or big events.
For nightclubs, it is the first time they have been allowed to open in almost 18 months, and from London to Liverpool, thousands of people danced the night away at “Freedom Day” parties starting at midnight.
At The Piano Works in London, patrons packed the area around the cordoned-off dance floor on Sunday night as a host led a countdown to midnight. Once a ceremonial ribbon was cut, the crowd ran towards the dance floor as confetti canons went off and a disco ball spun above. Soon, unmasked club goers dancing to a live band’s rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody filled the floor.
Worries remain
But while entertainment businesses and ravers are jubilant, many others are deeply worried about the British government’s decision to scrap restrictions at a time when Covid-19 cases are on a rapid upswing due to the highly infectious delta variant first identified in India. Cases topped 50,000 per day last week for the first time since January, although virus deaths remain comparatively low so far.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has dialled down talk of freedom in recent weeks, urged the public to exercise “prudence and respect for other people and the risks that the disease continues to present”.
The prime minister was spending “Freedom Day” in quarantine. Johnson and treasury chief Rishi Sunak are both self-isolating for 10 days after contact with health secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday.