PUBS, PATIOS & BARS: Brit pubs re-open, but for how long?

Drinks were raised in toasts and reunited friends hugged each other as thousands of UK pubs and restaurants opened this week for indoor service for the first time since early January. Yet Britain’s prime minister sounded a cautious tone, warning about a more contagious COVID-19 variant that threatens reopening plans.

The latest step in the UK’s gradual easing of nationwide restrictions also includes reopening theatres, sports venues, and museums, raising hopes that Britain’s economy may soon start to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic.

But the rapid spread of a variant first discovered in India is tempering the optimism amid memories of how another variant swept across the country in December, triggering England’s third national lockdown. Public health officials and the government are urging people to continue to observe social distancing, even though the situation is different now because almost 70% of the adult population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

Monday’s reopening allows people in England to go out for a drink or a meal without shivering in rainy outdoor beer gardens. Rules were also being eased in Scotland and Wales, with Northern Ireland due to follow next week.

The next phase in Britain’s reopening is scheduled for June 21, when remaining restrictions are set to be removed, but PM Boris Johnson has warned that a big surge in COVID-19 cases could scuttle those plans.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade group UKHospitality, said almost 1 million people were returning to work on Monday, but that businesses were counting on the final step out of lockdown taking place as planned on June 21.

Ian Snowball, owner of the Showtime Bar in Huddersfield, northern England, said it was nice to be inside again, rather than facing the island nation’s unpredictable weather.

“I don’t have to have a hoodie or a coat on anymore – it’s great,” he said. “And hopefully we don’t have to go back outside again, hopefully this is the end of it now.”

Despite the reopening of indoor spaces, social distancing curbs remain that will make life difficult for many pubs to survive the coming months, especially if the virus variant first found in India prompts the government to delay its next lockdown.

“Do I think June 21 is going to happen? Probably not,” says Clement Ogbonnaya, owner of The Prince of Peckham pub in southeast London. “But we are here today and all we can do is follow the guidelines and try and stay safe.”

For now, social distancing remains, which keeps a lid on how much a pub can make. Required table service means the bar is a no-go area for customers. The Beer and Pub Association has estimated that 2,000 pubs, or around 5% of all the pubs in the UK, will still remain closed despite indoor reopening.

“We need pubs fully reopened without any restrictions at all on June 21 if they are to survive,” said Emma McClarkin, the organization’s chief executive.

Pubs will hopefully return to normal very soon. They are a home away from home for drinkers and non-drinkers alike, the go-to arena for friends and family in good times and bad, for everything from first dates to breakups.

“It’s an area where you can celebrate. Where you can mourn, you can laugh, you can cry, you can break up, you can make up, you can be Black, you can be white, you can be old,” says Ogbonnaya. “You should be able to be anything within that community that the pub is in.”

– With glass purposefully in hand, we at Travel Industry Today continue our series on some of the planet’s best bars, patios, and rooftop venues. For more articles in the series, click here: