Politics

Pubs can open their doors from 6am tomorrow sparking rush-hour for thirsty punters


PUBS will be allowed to open their doors from 6am tomorrow, it was confirmed today.

Tomorrow is Super Saturday, meaning Brits can finally sit in their local and order a pint three months after they were ordered to temporarily close amid the coronavirus crisis.

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Pubs are preparing to reopen today after being in lockdown for four months

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Pubs are preparing to reopen today after being in lockdown for four monthsCredit: REUTERS

Restaurants and cafes are also allowed to start serving customers again and not just for takeaways.

The Government said that most of the new rules and regulations would be in place just after midnight.

But pubs wouldn’t be allowed to reopen until 6am – just in case anyone wanted to try and get a late-night pint in.

However, it will depend on the licence that each pub has as to when they can actually serve you a drink.

The PM’s spokesperson said this lunchtime the change was “a sensible precaution just to stress that pubs shouldn’t open at midnight.

“The reopen date should be in the daytime on July 4th.” 

Today Rishi Sunak helped pubs prepare on a visit to the The Bell & Crown pub in Chiswick. 

The Chancellor helped move some barrels and prepared cutlery.

Rishi Sunak helps out at a visit to The Bell & Crown pub in Chiswick.

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Rishi Sunak helps out at a visit to The Bell & Crown pub in Chiswick.
The Chancellor also prepared cutlery at the London pub

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The Chancellor also prepared cutlery at the London pub

JD Wetherspoon will be opening its pubs at 8am tomorrow.

It will reopen 750 pubs on July 4 after Boris Johnson gave the green light, but you unlike other boozers you can’t currently book tables in advance.

We’ve also reported on a new map showing you which beer gardens will be open this weekend.

Pubs have been kitted out with screens, posters and floor markings to help keep customers safe.

But Greene King pubs are not to due to return and welcome customers until Monday – to give landlords and managers enough time to make sure branches are “Pubsafe” – or Covid-19 secure.

A spokesperson for the chain said: “We have decided to open our managed pubs from Monday July 6 so we can open as many as possible with our Pubsafe promises in place for the safety of our customers and team members.

“We look forward to welcoming back customers to our pubs and providing that great hospitable pub experience we all love.”

Some police forces – including Devon and Cornwall – have said punters would have a two-hour limit on staying in any establishment.

Chief Constable Sawyer said today: “Our licensed and hospitality industry will re-open on Saturday, but it will be a very different experience for those going to a pub or restaurant.

“I strongly encourage you to book your visit and you will be restricted to two hours in an establishment. We want people to enjoy that experience, but we cannot tolerate scenes like we have witnessed in Exmouth and on Plymouth’s Barbican in the last week.”

However, No10 stressed this would not be a rule implemented across the country, and it would be down to different forces to implement their own rules.

A spokesperson said it was “not part of the regulations… pubs and restaurants in particular do sometimes put time-limits you can have a table for.”

But going back the local on Saturday won’t be the same as it was before.

Instead you’ll have to stick to tough new rules to keep everyone safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

People will have to book ahead, and in some places order via an app.

Table service will be required, and in many pubs you won’t be allowed to order at the bar.

In larger pubs, the tables will need to be rearranged so that they sit at least a metre away from the next one.

It means boozers will only be operating around 60 per cent capacity, so customers will also be encouraged to book a table before arriving at their local.

People will only be allowed to go out to the pub with one other household at a time.

And the lead member will have to leave their contact details with the pub just in case there’s an outbreak, or they end up near someone who later tests positive for the virus.

Those details will be destroyed by the pubs after 21 days.

Outdoor dining pods have been introduced at the Anchor Inn, Nayland, Colchester

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Outdoor dining pods have been introduced at the Anchor Inn, Nayland, ColchesterCredit: Stephen Huntley/HVC
Diners will be able to book a pod for their group

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Diners will be able to book a pod for their groupCredit: Stephen Huntley/HVC

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The Sun revealed this week that pubs will be allowed to show the football – but it will have to be on quietly.

Anything that encourages people to raise their voice shouldn’t be allowed.

This is because of the potential to spread the virus through droplets in the air.

People in Scotland will have to wait a little longer before they can enjoy a cold pint at their pub – as beer gardens aren’t meant to open until July 6.

Indoor restaurants and pubs can open their doors from July 15, too.

However, many pubs are not going to open up their doors at all on Saturday – for fears they can’t keep people safe.

Some landlords fear they cannot enforce Covid-19 social distancing rules when partying punters flood in for their first pint since March. 

Sunderland bars including Ttonic, Chaplins, The Point, Glitter Ball and Arizona will remain shut.

Ian High, operations and finance director of Pub Culture, which runs venues in the North East including the Dun Cow in Sunderland, told the Sunderland Echo: “The health and safety of our staff and customers is our top priority.

“We are working through the guidelines provided for the hospitality industry and want to make sure that when we open, we are providing the safest possible environment.”

Leading doctors, police and campaigners urged revellers to drink responsibly to avoid ending up injured and in under pressure hospitals.

Some even fear that emergency departments could see as many drunk patients as New Years Eve. 

Staff might be wearing PPE at pubs to serve you

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Staff might be wearing PPE at pubs to serve you
JD Wetherspoon will be opening at 8am

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JD Wetherspoon will be opening at 8amCredit: Alamy
Table service only will be allowed in some establishments

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Table service only will be allowed in some establishmentsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

 

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