So you went to the pub last night and were asked to leave at 09:59pm, only to have the cold air hit your bladder and you had to beg to be let in again to use the toilet! Joking aside, what is the new 10pm Curfew all about, what are the Government trying to achieve and what will it do to local pubs?
“To be honest, I’ve been closing at 10pm the past few Fridays due to lack of trade,” admits Pete Spittles from The Last Heretic. “All in all I think it had to be done by the Government so as to keep the R number down.”
Richard Muir from The Weighbridge Inn isn’t so sure: “I really can’t understand what the 10pm Curfew is going to achieve? I have seen no evidence to show pubs are a big cause of the increase in cases. From what I have seen it is Care Homes and education settings that are the major contributors to this; what extra restrictions are in place there?”
“I believe our industry is being unfairly targeted,” agrees Mandy Addis from The Coopers Tavern. “Are they going to allow all takeaway shops to remain open after the 10pm curfew? You only need to walk down any street with one in to see people congregating without social distancing! Surely a 10pm Curfew will only encourage house parties?”
Carl Stout from the Devonshire Arms is worried about the impact on pub culture in general: “In the short term any restrictions will have a significant effect. Regular pub goers are creatures of habit and we have a lot of customers who enjoy a beer later in the evening, we just hope they will decide to visit the pub earlier in the evening. In the long term I worry that people will give up on pubs and some customers will not return even when we have a vaccine.”
“I also understand that the Government have to do something,” observes Lee Betts from the Derby Inn, “whatever that may be, it will always be wrong.”
“We were running on reduced hours anyway so hopefully the effect on trade should be minimal,” says Richard, something that is echoed by Lee, Pete and Mandy. “Having to enforce the rules won’t be fun but we will ensure we keep our pub as a safe and friendly environment as we always do.”
One thing is for certain, pubs need your custom and support as we enter what will be a long hard winter, just make sure that you’ve gone for a piss in good time before they ask you to leave.