Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SOCIAL BLISS DANCE
REVELLERS toasted the first weekend of freedom in months by downing six million pints of beer yesterday in a sun-soaked splurge of socialising.
Drinkers formed queues outside beer gardens, with many staying on to watch the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Manchester City on jumbo outdoor screens.
High streets were busy too, and Joshua Bamfield, of the Centre for Retail Research, estimated 18.4 million shoppers would spend £1.6billion in stores this weekend.
That is still down on prepandemic levels when shoppers spent around £2billion on average.
Not everyone was invited to the party, with around 29,000 pubs shut as they have no outdoor space. And some medics warned that revellers dropping their social distancing guard was “risking all the progress” made in the fight against Covid-19.
But at The Red Lion in Hunningham, Warks, punters were delighted to be back and drank 3,000 beers.
The pub installed 74 outdoor tables during lockdown and there was barely a spare seat yesterday.
Landlord Richard Merand, 37, said: “It’s brilliant to be open again and see people reuniting. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response. On Monday we sold 1,700 pints, which was amazing – now it’s doubled. We’re also serving around 1,000 meals. It’s just incredible.
“I’ve employed 10 more staff, which means 10 families happy.”
Among those enjoying the day was Robert Huggins, 39, a Network Rail worker from Leek Wootton.
Supping a pint of real ale, he said: “It’s just what the doctor ordered.”
Around 100 miles south in the
capital, Nicola Smith, 36, met five pals for food and cocktails by the Thames.
The events director, of Woolwich, South-East London, said: “The best thing was someone bringing me food and wine for the first time in months. I’ve been fed up of cooking for myself.”
Hours earlier pictures emerged of packed pavements on Friday night.
Some revellers did not appear to be social distancing, and many were apparently ignoring the rule of six.
Dr David Strain, a hospital consultant, told the Sunday Mirror “selfish” socialising could cause infections to surge in about five weeks, just like after the November lockdown.
He said: “We are a long way from being out of this yet and it makes me really angry that selfish behaviour of some people is risking all the progress.
“If they carry on, we will be back where we started. A&Es are going to be in danger of being overrun again and we will be back in lockdown.”
Dr Strain, who works in Exeter,
Devon, added: “For healthcare workers, who have only just started to catch a breath after months of hell, this is nothing short of sickening.”
Dr Pushpo Hossain, of the Doctors’ Association UK committee, said the packed pub gardens were “very scary”. She said any new spike could prove too much for medics who have been exhausted by the pandemic and demoralised by a paltry pay rise offer. Dr Hossain said: “The Government has broken our morale with the 1% [proposal]. If a third wave hits we won’t be fit enough to deliver a service. We are burnt out.”
Epidemiologist Prof Gabriel Scally, a member of Independent Sage, warned against complacency saying there is “still lots of virus circulating”.
He added: “We need to be reminding ourselves the vaccine is not 100% effective and there an awful lot of people who haven’t their second dose.”
Meanwhile, the delay in reopening indoor services until May 17 – the next milestone in PM Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown – is said to be costing the hospitality sector more than £1billion a week and faces a legal challenge in the High Court tomorrow.
On the same date friends and family will be able to meet indoors, either as a group of up to six or an unlimited number from two households.
Domestic overnight stays will be allowed with people not in your household and most indoor entertainment will resume.