Partygoers baffled by new virus restrictions
REVELLERS crowded on to the streets of locked-down Manchester on the hottest night of the year – and branded the Government’s latest advice nonsensical and “all over the place”.
The announcement that two households can no longer meet up in the region was rushed through with just a few hours’ notice on Thursday, leaving residents worried and confused.
Pubs and restaurants in the city centre were bustling on Friday night – but customers said they were not sure what they could and could not do.
Enjoying a drink in the trendy Northern Quarter, Nicole Casseldon, 23, said: “The Government has failed to make anything clear. It’s really busy here but we can’t meet our family or friends at home or in the garden. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Her friend Molly Mayston, also 23, added: “We have spent months and months at home being careful. This latest advice is all over the place.”
Anyone ignoring the latest rules could face a £100 fine.
But Stephen Wade, 53, travelled from Keighley, West
Yorks – another area hit by the changes – to enjoy a weekend with a pal in Manchester.
As he enjoyed a pint, he admitted: “I’m not sure whether I should have travelled from one high-risk area to another, but I had accommodation and everything booked and it’s so unclear I thought,‘Why not?’
“It feels like we are being left to evaluate our own risks and use a bit of common sense because we’re constantly being told different things.”
Zoe Hindson, who travelled from Ripon, North Yorks, agreed.
When lockdown eased she made plans to celebrate her 37th birthday in Manchester and, despite the latest restrictions, decided to travel to the city this weekend with her pal Danielle Robson.
Zoe said: “I don’t feel like the Government’s being transparent with us. One minute they’re telling us to go out and spend money and help businesses, then the next minute they’re telling us not to go out with friends. It’s confusing and upsetting.”
Bethany Harrison, of Salford, also refused to let the new rules stop her celebrating her 22nd birthday. She said: “I wanted to let my hair down and see my friends.
“The Government is telling us to go out and spend money, so that’s what I’m doing. The latest rules aren’t going to affect me.”
Her friend David Barnett, also from Salford, said: “There is so much worry among people of my age group about unemployment. Lots of my friends and family have been on furlough. It feels never-ending. The Government have made a total mess of it.”
Despite the party atmosphere, a barman in the Northern Quarter, who asked not to be named, said he was seriously concerned about his safety after hearing several staff at a nearby pub have tested positive for Covid-19.
He said: “This place is packed night after night with several households mingling. The latest measures haven’t been in any way clarified.”
These new rules aren’t going to stop me letting my hair down BETHANY HARRISON
IN MANCHESTER FRIDAY