8.5m litres of beer to be ‘sunk’

PEOPLE could get a drink in a pub, have a meal in a restaurant or get a haircut for the first time in over three months yesterday as England took its biggest steps yet towards resumption of normal life.

Pubs were allowed to start serving from 6am, sparking worries of over-indulgence on what the media dubbed a “Super Saturday” of Covid-19 restrictions being eased. Some hairdressers were reported to have opened at midnight.

“It’s beautiful just to get back and have a pint,” said Jim Martin, a 56-year old carpenter.

Police chiefs are worried that the reopening of pubs could fuel drunken and irresponsible behaviour, while hospitals have been warned to prepare for a New Year’s Eve-style weekend.

“There’s an element of decompression going on, particularly with younger people who’ve had some parents keeping them in over recent weeks,” Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, told BBC radio.

The Sun newspaper predicted that 8.5 million litres of beer would be sunk in England yesterday.

The rule changes apply only to England as the devolved nations in the UK – Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – have been setting their own timetables for easing lockdown restrictions.

Pub-goers will find the atmosphere different from the usual Saturday-night scrum. Numbers are limited, no one can stand at the bar and there will be no live music. Patrons will have to give their details to allow tracers to identify them if anyone later tests positive.