Ministers target July 4th for reopening of England’s pubs and restaurants

[frogwoman]

Just heard a very sensible landlady on BBC London, explaining why there was no way on earth she was opening her pub this weekend, despite taking a massive financial hit (& not being judgemental of local pubs whose circumstances meant it was easier for them to open).

It was actually a huge relief to hear her lay it out like that - I guess if you have a favourite pub that isn't opening yet, it would be good to show them some support this weekend - vocal, ££s if they have a crowdfunder, buying takeout, whatever...

Agreed.

 

[treelover]

Yeah. Our culture sadly isn't quite set up for it. Germany has lots of enormous beer gardens, which I believe reopened a while ago. With a bit of imagination, we could create some temporary ones, I would have thought. Yes our summers are shit, but surely we should all be being encouraged to socialise outside for the moment.

i reckon lots of 'entrepreneurs' are going to set up marquees, rent fields, etc, i suspects councils will faciliate this.

 

[treelover]

get some carry-outs and go to the park

the bar still gets your business and you don't have to worry about distancing

stabbing in my local park, gangs from all over city, guy waving a machete, long time since that was the case.

 

[SpookyFrank]

So the idea is to help people avoid each other by having someone follow people to the bogs?

 

[Pickman's model]

stabbing in my local park, gangs from all over city, guy waving a machete, long time since that was the case.

happily for editor they're unlikely to target him in South London

 

[cupid_stunt]

So the idea is to help people avoid each other by having someone follow people to the bogs?

No.

The idea is to prevent too many people using the bogs at the same time.

 

[SpookyFrank]

No.

The idea is to prevent too many people using the bogs at the same time.

So, to put it another way, they're gonna help people avoid each other by having someone follow people to the bogs. Thank god you're here to set me straight.

 

[editor]

happily for editor they're unlikely to target him in South London

Literally no idea why I'm being mentioned here.

 

[cupid_stunt]

So, to put it another way, they're gonna help people avoid each other by having someone follow people to the bogs. Thank god you're here to set me straight.

At a suitable distance, and stopping them going into the bogs if necessary, so sorry you are too thick to understand this.

 

[SpookyFrank]

At a suitable distance, and stopping them going into the bogs if necessary, so sorry you are too thick to understand this.

So, rather than having someone follow you to the bogs to help you avoid people, what they're going to do is have someone follow you to the bogs to help you avoid people.

 

[editor]

So, rather than having someone follow you to the bogs to help you avoid people, what they're going to do is have someone follow you to the bogs to help you avoid people.

I thought most places were just making toilets 'one person at a time' rather than escorting everyone individually from their seat and back?

 

[SpookyFrank]

I thought most places were just making toilets 'one person at a time' rather than escorting everyone individually from their seat and back?

Whichever system is in place it will be abandoned after 45 minutes.

 

[purves grundy]

In that case just leave a few ashtrays full of cigarette butts and empty and half-empty glasses about your garden for the proper ambience

And release a load of angry wasps.

 

[editor]

Whichever system is in place it will be abandoned after 45 minutes.

Absolutely. It's hard enough for pissed up people to maintain any kind of social distancing in vast parks, so you can imagine what will happen in crowded pub gardens.

 

[purves grundy]

Whichever system is in place it will be abandoned after 45 minutes.

Or will play out in ways that render it meaningless. I was in Amsterdam as the govt was gradually tightening things, and one Friday I think it was no gatherings of more than 50 people. In the area I was staying in, I noticed four pubs which had their full quota of 50 but were next door to another pub with another max quota of 50! Separated by a short Perspex fence though, maybe it had special properties.

We are living in a material world, as Marx said.

 

[elbows]

I think I'll stick this quote from the governor of Texas in here:

"If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars," Mr Abbott said to El Paso station KVIA-TV. A "bar setting, in reality, just doesn't work with a pandemic".

From What's behind alarming new US outbreaks?

 

[Teaboy]

I think I'll stick this quote from the governor of Texas in here:



From What's behind alarming new US outbreaks?

Its certainly a worry. We're not seeing the same in Europe but that's likely due to a more controlled reopening of bars and an outdoor drinking culture. We should know one way or the other by the end of July.

 

[Reno]

Restaurants and bars have been open under strict distancing rules for nearly a month in Germany and infection rates have stayed low. Of course you have to get to a point where there are few infections to be able to do that and much of the service has been moved outdoors.

 

[Roadkill]

I heard on the grapevine a few days ago that my local has made all its staff redundant. The blokes who run it are the kind who'd do everything they could to avoid that, so it's a really bad sign. I thought with the furlough scheme and the fact they (I believe) own the building outright they'd probably survive, but evidently not. However, the blinds were up for the first time since March when I went by earlier and there's clearly some work going on inside, so perhaps there's hope yet.

It looks as if the rumour mill was wrong. I've just been past on my way to the shop. The blinds are up, the windows are being cleaned and a couple of the staff look to be sorting the bar out ready to reopen. Phew!

Its certainly a worry. We're not seeing the same in Europe but that's likely due to a more controlled reopening of bars and an outdoor drinking culture. We should know one way or the other by the end of July.

Plus the fact that much of Europe locked down hard, and has only started reopening bars etc now that infections are down to a low level. The UK hasn't done either of those things very well and the breaking scandal with the Pillar 2 data suggests the picture is less positive than the official infection stats show. Nevertheless, I can't help thinking the UK is better placed than Trumpland to reopen the pubs, and might well get away without it causing the kind of surge of infections it evidently has on the other side of the pond.

 

[Supine]

If you’re drinking in Nottingham this weekend you need a council tax bill to prove you are not from Leicester

 

[Teaboy]

If you’re drinking in Nottingham this weekend you need a council tax bill to prove you are not from Leicester

For real?

Its like when you have to blag your way into a 'home' pub when you're obviously an 'away' supporter.

 

[killer b]

doesn't seem to be totally true, no.

No ID no entry at Nottingham pubs in bid to keep Leicester drinkers out

The city's pubs and bars have brought in a strict new rule which may mean bringing your council tax bill out

www.nottinghampost.com

 

[FridgeMagnet]

or does seem to be?

 

[Supine]

Oops. Forgot to add the link

No ID no entry at Nottingham pubs in bid to keep Leicester drinkers out

The city's pubs and bars have brought in a strict new rule which may mean bringing your council tax bill out

www.nottinghampost.com

 

[Teaboy]

Welsh approach:

Coronavirus in Wales: Pubs and restaurants can open outdoors from 13 July

Self-contained accommodation will also be able to take bookings two days earlier than planned.

www.bbc.co.uk

Its a bit hard to work out the exact rules from the article. One of the stranger things recently is pubs being able to do take-aways but people can't use their gardens or even car parks so there has been a lot of drinking on street corners etc which has been a bit daft. It has meant though that pubs can sell some beer (and make some money) with minimal staff overheads.

If the plan in Wales is to basically allow pubs to do a take-away service but punters can use the gardens and toilets than I think that is a pretty sensible idea. If the plan is that pubs still have to abide by all the rules as English pubs do but they can only open their garden than I can't see why any of them would bother. The amount of staff they'd have to put on for table service and what happens if it rains or gets cold?

I'm not convinced reopening pubs now is a great idea but if it is to be done they have to be given a fighting chance of making some money.

 

[editor]

Welsh approach:

Coronavirus in Wales: Pubs and restaurants can open outdoors from 13 July

Self-contained accommodation will also be able to take bookings two days earlier than planned.

www.bbc.co.uk

Its a bit hard to work out the exact rules from the article. One of the stranger things recently is pubs being able to do take-aways but people can't use their gardens or even car parks so there has been a lot of drinking on street corners etc which has been a bit daft. It has meant though that pubs can sell some beer (and make some money) with minimal staff overheads.

If the plan in Wales is to basically allow pubs to do a take-away service but punters can use the gardens and toilets than I think that is a pretty sensible idea. If the plan is that pubs still have to abide by all the rules as English pubs do but they can only open their garden than I can't see why any of them would bother. The amount of staff they'd have to put on for table service and what happens if it rains or gets cold?

I'm not convinced reopening pubs now is a great idea but if it is to be done they have to be given a fighting chance of making some money.

Wales (and Scotland too) has been far more sensible in their approach throughout. And their approach is why they've got a transmission rate far lower than England's.

Opening on a Saturday night is sheer fucking stupidity.

A&E doctors plead with England's pub-goers not to get 'plastered'

Fears over NHS being stretched and the spread of Covid-19 ahead of ‘Super Saturday’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Teaboy]

Wales (and Scotland too) has been far more sensible in their approach throughout. And their approach is why they've got a transmission rate far lower than England's.

Opening on a Saturday night is sheer fucking stupidity.

A&E doctors plead with England's pub-goers not to get 'plastered'

Fears over NHS being stretched and the spread of Covid-19 ahead of ‘Super Saturday’

www.theguardian.com

I agree on the Saturday thing. Utter madness. I can only assume it was a won't someone think about business and the UK economy thing and they didn't want a load of people phoning in sick on a school day. Either that or they're so far gone basic things no longer occur.

 

[Yossarian]

It'd probably work out a lot cheaper in the long run if the government paid pubs shitloads of money to stay closed.

 

[editor]

I agree on the Saturday thing. Utter madness. I can only assume it was a won't someone think about business and the UK economy thing and they didn't want a load of people phoning in sick on a school day. Either that or they're so far gone basic things no longer occur.

There's pubs I know around Brixton that are already fully booked and - in my opinion - some of them are letting far too many people in. Throw in the staggered closing times (some are staying open past midnight which is another act of stupidity) and I can imagine all sorts of problems with pissed up twats.

 

[Badgers]

There's pubs I know around Brixton that are already fully booked and - in my opinion - some of them are letting far too many people in. Throw in the staggered closing times (some are staying open past midnight which is another act of stupidity) and I can imagine all sorts of problems with pissed up twats.

Brixton in being Brixton shocker