It’s estimated 15 million pints were poured on Saturday as British pubs opened for the first time in more than 100 days. But there are fears the festivities will trigger a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Pubs opened their doors at 6am for what was dubbed “Super Saturday”, with some revellers crowding the streets in the early hours of the morning, waiting to have their first beer.
And their numbers swelled throughout the day. Rafal Liszewski, a store manager in Soho, said crowds in the area on Saturday night were “out of control”.
“Around 1pm crowds started to arrive… quickly everything got out of control and by 8-9 pm it was a proper street party with people dancing and drinking,” he said.
“Barely anyone was wearing masks and nobody respected social distancing… to be honest with that many people on one street it was physically impossible.”
Not all pubs prepared to reopen
About 80% of the 37,500 pubs in England were expected to reopen, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
However, the Night-Time Industries Association estimated 31% of bars, pubs and restaurants were staying shut due to safety fears.
The Tollington pub in north London, where some staff members had been “at death’s door” with COVID-19, was one of them.
Manager Martin Whelan, said he could not “in good conscience open the pub when contracting a deadly virus is still possible under these guidelines”.
Social distancing ignored
Many police officers reported that social distancing measures were widely ignored in British pubs on Super Saturday, sparking fears of a second COVID-19 wave.
Police Sergeant Richard Cooke from the West Midlands force tweeted: “Just got home after a long shift late shift peppered with pub fights, domestic violence & drunken drugged up fools.
“If today was anything to go by the second wave won’t be long in the making!”
Police Federation Chairman John Apter, said he had dealt with “naked men, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights and more angry drunks” while on duty in Southampton.
He added: “What was crystal clear is that drunk people can’t/won’t socially distance. It was a busy night but the shift managed to cope. I know other areas have had issues with officers being assaulted.”
Prince William opts for cider
Prince William enjoyed a pint of cider and a plate of chips at the Rose and Crown pub in Snettisham, near his Anmer Hall country estate, on Friday.
He was there to show his support for Britain’s hospitality industry on the eve of customers returning.
“I’m a cider man,” the Duke of Cambridge said as the cameras rolled for his special visit.
After ordering he sat outside in the pub’s garden terrace, he was also filmed rubbing his hands with sanitiser.
While British pubs have reopened, Scotland and Wales are not expected to relax restrictions until later this month.
