Pubs reopen
Emergency services thanked the public for behaving sensibly as pubs and restaurants reopened on ‘Super Saturday’.
Emergency services across Sussex geared up for a surge in demand at the weekend as pubs and restaurants reopened for the first time in three months.
Ahead of ‘Super Saturday’, police, the ambulance service and local authorities came together to urge people to stay safe and enjoy the reopening of the night-time economy responsibly to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the NHS.
Reflecting on the weekend, police said towns and cities across the county had been about as busy as would have been expected on a ‘normal’ July night – and thanked the public for behaving sensibly.
Superintendent Graham Barnett said: “The re-opening of pubs and restaurants over the weekend passed generally without incident and I would like to thank both the premises’ owners and operators, along with their customers, for the responsible way in which they made their return to business, albeit under somewhat different circumstances to what we are used to. While Saturday evening was a little busier for us than in recent lockdown months, that was not surprising and we were fully prepared.
“However, it was really not much different to what we would have expected on a ‘normal’ July night.”
As the lockdown eases, he reminded people to continue to protect the NHS and follow social distancing measures.
He said: “Moving forward, I would reiterate my appeal to people to enjoy themselves, but to act responsibly and stay safe. Please continue to take note of the new restrictions in place, don’t congregate outside licensed premises and avoid large crowds to keep each other safe. Social distancing restrictions remain in place and large gatherings continue to be prohibited.
“It is not our responsibility to police social distancing as this is guidance and not law, but we are expecting you to take personal responsibility to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”
Police are urging those who do visit pubs and restaurants to plans ahead, as many businesses will be working to a strict ‘bookings only’ policy to limit numbers. People should continue to avoid large gatherings and should not congregate outside licensed premises.
The ambulance service has echoed calls for people to enjoy the night-time economy sensibly. Tim Fellows, South East Coast Ambulance Service operating unit manager, said the service had been ‘very, very busy’ throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s been an exhausting time for staff, and really we are now going into the summer peak, so there’s no respite.”
He added: “The lifting of the lockdown is a great improvement for everybody, but that comes with a little bit of self-responsibility.
“We really are still very busy and we don’t want to make that worse by having people who have taken the celebration too far.”