Bars, salons reopen in some of U.K., amid worries over easing
It’s time to keep calm, carry on and hoist a moderately cold pint.
Many Britons enjoyed England’s most significant lockdown easing when many pubs opened Saturday even as many in the United Kingdom remained worried about the country’s high coronavirus infection and fatality rates.
Pubs, restaurants, libraries, cinemas and museums are among the many hospitality venues that have reopened in England for the first time since March 23, when the full lockdown was announced. Public pools and nail salons have not yet reopened.
Travel and social-distancing restrictions were also loosened, permitting, for instance, people to go to the homes of their friends.
Reopened businesses are instituting social-distancing rules.
Hairdresser Stephanie Headley, said she was a “bit anxious” about reopening, but added, “I can’t wait to see all the dodgy haircuts that have come out of quarantine.”
The United Kingdom has seen 44,000 coronavirus deaths — third in the world, behind 130,000 deaths in the U.S. and 63,000 in Brazil.
The U.K.’s high toll has many criticizing the decision to dramatically ease the lockdown in England, home to about 85% of the country’s population.
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have eased restrictions at varying speeds in recent weeks. Pubs are open now in Northern Ireland under rules similar to those in England. But they’re still closed in Scotland and Wales.
“This is a big turning point for us,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “We’ve got to get it right.”
Johnson — who suffered a bout with coronavirus himself, and has been criticized for lifting the lockdown to boost the economy — said that scientific evidence shows people are “appreciably less likely now to be in close proximity” than they were early into the outbreak.
Despite those reassurances, some English pubs chose not to reopen, having decided instead that “they want to see what’s going to happen,” Nik Antona, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale, told The Associated Press.
Other bars decided not to reopen on the first day, including some in Newcastle in northeast England. The proprietors of The Tyne Bar in Newcastle noted that most alcohol-related incidents occur on Saturdays, which could make reopening “a day of total chaos.”
“We are genuinely concerned that this could be a day of total chaos for the pub trade . ... [W]e’ve decided it’s not worth the risk,” said The Tyne Bar’s Twitter account.
Pubs that do reopen will have to space people from different households more than three feet apart and provide hand sanitizer. Masks are optional for customers and staff.
The easing does not apply to all of England. In Leicester in central England, a spike in coronavirus cases has forced schools and nonessential businesses to shut down again.
While Britain took steps to get back to normal, other nations dealt with grim coronavirus news.
South Africa, a growing hotspot, confirmed cases have climbed to more than 177,000, with a record 9,063 reported in the most recent 24-hour period.
Infections are soaring in Africa, where more than 433,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed.
India reported a spike of 22,771 new cases on Saturday, its biggest single-day rise yet. India now has more than 648,000 cases, including 18,655 deaths.
Russia’s reported coronavirus death toll passed the 10,000 mark. Russia also reported 6,632 new infections, raising the total for the outbreak to 674,515.
In Japan, Tokyo confirmed 131 new cases, exceeding 100 for the third day in a row and hitting a new two-month high, prompting Gov. Yuriko Koike to ask residents to avoid nonessential out-oftown visits.
Spain ordered 200,000 people to lock down in El Segria county, including the city of Lleida, after health officials recorded a jump in 60 cases in 24 hours.
Germany, which has about one-fifth as many coronavirus deaths as the United Kingdom, has begun testing asmyptomatic people in nursing homes. “The way our country reacted to the pandemic has largely proved to be right,” crowed Chancellor Angela Merkel.
More than 11 million people around the world are known to have been infected, including 2.7 million in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 525,000 people have died.