GET THE BEERS IN!
■ PUBS, RESTAURANTS, SHOPS WORKING 24/7 FOR MONDAY ■ REOPENING COMES AS DEATHS FROM COVID PLUMMET MET BY 92%
IT’S all hands to the pumps, as pubs, restaurants and shops get set for Monday’s big reopening – boosted by another fall in Covid deaths.
With three days to go until April 12’s next step out of lockdown, data revealed the number of people who died with the virus in a week fell 92 per cent since the peak of the second wave in January.
Infection rates have also fallen to levels not seen since last summer.
And with the Met Office predicting a cold but dry day on Monday, pub landlords expect a surge of customers when their battered businesses finally open for the first time in months.
‘Ever since it was announced we could open on the twelfth, it’s gone mad,’ said Brad Francis of the Highbury Vaults in North London. ‘The support from people has been fantastic.’
Uber announced half-price rides to pubs on Monday. Drinkers were urged to take cash in case outdoor wi-fi wi- fififififi signals
struggle to cope with demand, and Adam Brooks, of The Owl in High Beech, Essex, pleaded: ‘Owners will forget things, staff will be rusty and make mistakes. Umbrellas will blow away, marquees might leak, food may take longer or the wrong lager served. Be gentle!’
Monday’s reopening, with non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers back too, comes as some experts suggest the vaccine rollout means Britain is close to herd immunity – the point where enough people are resistant for the disease to stop spreading.
Neuroscientist Prof Karl Friston said 73 per cent now had protection through vaccination, previous infection or natural immunity, adding: ‘This is nearly the herd immunity threshold.’ Another 53 deaths were recorded yesterday but new cases fell to 3,030 from 4,479 a week ago. There were 506,000 vaccinations, including 372,000 second doses.
Deaths from any cause were below average for the third week in a row, with just seven per cent linked to Covid.
Deaths with Covid fell to 719 in the week to March 26, the ONS said – a 25 per cent fall on the previous week and 92 per cent down on 8,945 in the week ending January 22. Deaths among 75 to 79-year-olds fell fastest of all.
New figures from Public Health England last night suggested 15million injections given to over-60s so far in the programme had saved 10,400 lives.
Meanwhile, scientists urged people to keep faith with vaccines after claims that the Oxford/AstraZeneca shots have a one in 1million chance of causing blood clots. UK watchdog the MHRA has said that under-30s should be offered an alternative jab.
But Prof Anthony Harnden, of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, said the risk is ‘ much more rare than the contraceptive pill, much rarer than clots during pregnancy, much, much rarer than clots due to Covid itself’.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘This is the equivalent risk of taking a long-haul flight.’ Amid warnings the reopening could spark a new surge of cases, he insisted there would be no further relaxations before May 17.