Britons post hilarious memes as it is announced pubs will open for the first time - Daily Mail

July 4 is our Independence Day! Delighted Britons post hilarious memes as they celebrate the news pubs will reopen after more than three months of lockdown

• Britons shared their comical reactions after the Prime Minister's announcement
• Boris Johnson today confirmed that pubs in England could reopen from July 
• Eager revellers across the country took to Twitter to celebrate the return    
• Some pubs already have all their tables reserved on opening 'Super Saturday' 
• Politicians to go on a PR blitz around UK to encourage people to return to pubs 
• Car parks and hotel grounds could be converted into temporary beer gardens
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Mark Duell and Bhvishya Patel For Mailonline

Published: 16:02 BST, 23 June 2020 | Updated: 16:57 BST, 23 June 2020

Britons have taken to social media to share their comical reactions after Boris Johnson announced that pubs in England would be allowed to reopen from July 4 after months in lockdown.

Following the Prime Minister's announcement, eager revellers across the country took to Twitter to celebrate the return of their favourite drinking establishments which were shut down on March 20.

Some pub-goers thanked the country's leader for reopening their much-loved pubs while others hailed the highly-anticipated return as the UK's 'Independence Day'. 

The hilarious memes, which have been trending on Twitter under the hashtag #PubsReopening, come after Mr Johnson revealed that pubs would be able to reopen for table services only while nightclubs would have to remain shut.

Taking to Twitter to share their excitement one social media user wrote: 'I thought about joining a monastery cos (sic) they make their own booze there but now I'll just wait till 4th July'.

Some eager pub-goers took to Twitter to share their excitement after it was announced that pubs would be reopening from July 4

While another person asked: 'Anyone free on 4th of July?'.

Elsewhere one pub-goer suggested that the day was a moment in history and commented: '4th of July is our Independence Day'.

One eager reveller shared an image of actor Peter Ostrum who starred as Charlie Bucket in the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory receiving his golden ticket next to the message: 'Trying to get a slot in a boozer next week.'

Meanwhile one Twitter user wrote: 'Me going to the pub at 9am on the 4th of July'

The torrent of amusing memes celebrating the government's latest move came just hours after the prime minister unveiled his plans to the country.

Following the announcement, pub owners have warned customers to only turn up if they have pre-booked a table and Britons will also be asked to register before having a drink at their local under plans to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Others users were unable to contain their excitement and suggested they would be having more than just the one pint

The Prime Minister told the Commons that customers will be allowed back into pubs as they reopen for the first time since closing on March 20 just before lockdown. 

Some pubs already have all their tables reserved on the opening day - dubbed 'Super Saturday' - with staff taken off furlough to help cope with bookings.

And politicians are expected to go on a PR blitz around the country to encourage people to return to pubs which will reopen with social distancing measures in place.

It comes amid suggestions over how the pubs of the future may look, including:

• Screens at the tills and to create seating areas to maintain social distancing;
• Pre-booking all tables and being banned from standing at the bar to drink; 
• One entrance with a separate exit door where possible to keep people apart;
• Menus on tables will have to be thrown out after being used once;
• Staff will hand over drinks holding the base of the glass to reduce contact; 
• Employees will have to wash their hands between serving different tables.

Boris Johnson has backed calls for people to 'do their patriotic best for Britain' and head to the pubs, joking that he may be touring the pubs country-wide himself.

The Prime Minister urged the Cabinet today to be at the forefront of a campaign to persuade Britons that it is safe to return to pubs, reported the Financial Times. 

It has been suggested some Ministers might go to the pub for a PR stunt, with a Government official saying: 'There's a job to be done to encourage people to go out.'

Meanwhile car parks and hotel grounds could be converted into temporary beer gardens to help with social distancing by encouraging drinkers outside.

 

Some eager pub-goers shared pictures of football teams winning a game while others suggested it would be a day of celebration

New laws due to be introduced to Parliament this Thursday will allow pubs to turn their 'spaces inside out' this summer, reported the Daily Telegraph.

One source said: 'At the moment, you (pubs) have to specify in the plan for your licence where you are selling and serving alcohol. Beer gardens tend to be licensed already but car parks aren't.

'You could have little courtyards that would be normally used for storage, car parks or land that you don't normally license. A lot of hotels will have huge gardens but won't have an outdoor licence.'

Mr Johnson told the Commons today that restaurants and pubs will be allowed to reopen from July 4.

He said: 'I can tell the House that we will also reopen restaurants and pubs. All hospitality indoors will be limited to table service and our guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact.      

Wetherspoon pubs will be very different places when they reopen and the chain has said it will spend £11million getting them ready. This graphic shows how they may appear from July 4

Customers queue up for a drink outside The Dynamo bar in Putney, South London, on June 19

Social distancing measures implemented at the Ardnamurchan pub in Glasgow on June 16

Pub hosts and Perspex screens: What will the 'new normal' look like in England's bars?

Supermarket-style queues, 'pub hosts' and Perspex screens at the bar will greet customers waiting to enjoy their first pub pint since lockdown began.

Two of the most popular British pub chains, Wetherspoons and Greene King, have outlined how their outlets will look as they reopen their doors from July 4 in England, while others have not been able to make plans.

A spokesman for one independent pub, the Gloucester Old Spot in Cheltenham, said they are 'all guns blazing' for a reopening but need Government guidance for the sector beyond the new one-metre rule.

So what can people expect under the 'new normal'?

- Signing in

Many publicans have said they will be operating a pre-booking system to control customer numbers, and expect supermarket-style queues at the door.

Brewer Greene King said it will be introducing a 'pub host', who will manage the queues, greet customers from one metre away, and show them to their tables.

- Ordering a pint

British pub giants Wetherspoons and Greene King have said customers will be encouraged to use phone apps to order and pay for drinks, to avoid people congregating at the bar.

Both chains have also said their bars will be fitted with perspex screens, hand sanitisers, and floor stickers indicating a one-way system for moving around the pub.

- Eating in

Following the Government's reduction of the two-metre social distancing restriction, pubs will be spacing tables at least one metre apart.

Along with other industry leaders, trade union group UKHospitality (UKH) put forward proposals to ministers, including that customers should be served individually-wrapped sauces and condiments rather than sharing bottles.

Some pubs have said they will be handing out one-time-use menus which customers can take away or dispose of at the venue.

- Using the toilet

Cleaners will be on hand in pub toilets, and Greene King has said its cleaners will be refreshing the facilities every 15 minutes.

It added that a 'pub safe monitor' will be cleaning surfaces and tables, and customers will be asked to flip 'one in, one out' red and green indicators at the entrance to toilets with their elbow as they enter and leave.

- 'New normal' for bartenders and servers

Wetherspoons staff will be undergoing temperature checks and filling in health questionnaires before each shift and could be wearing masks, gloves, and eye protection.

When they serve drinks, they will only be touching the bottom of the glass in order to avoid transmission via the surface.

- Final orders?

The Government has not yet said whether there will be a limit on the number of drinks one person can buy.

A spokesman for Wetherspoons said staff will ensure 'customers are served responsibly', although they hinted there would be no limit on the number of orders a customer can make.

'Before lockdown you couldn't order three pints for yourself at one time and that will be the case now,' they said.

 

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'We will ask businesses to help NHS Test and Trace respond to any local outbreaks by collecting contact details from customers as happens in other countries and we will work with the sector to make this manageable.'

Mr Johnson said guidance for business will be published later today.

He also said the two-metre rule will be reduced to 'one metre-plus' from July 4.

He told the Commons: 'Given the significant fall in the prevalence of the virus we can change the two-metre social distancing rule from July 4.'

He added: 'Where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should.

'But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of one metre-plus, meaning they should remain one metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission.'

Mr Johnson added: 'I know this rule effectively makes life impossible for large parts of our economy even without other restrictions, for example it prevents all but a fraction of our hospitality industry from operating.' 

Before the announcement, Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive of Oakman Inns, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'We will be taking bookings only in the early stages. 

'So we will have names through our normal booking system. However it would seem to me a sort of strange replacement for a trace and contact scenario, but if the Government would like us to do it, then we'll happily do it.'

'I think it will evolve, but on day one we want to be very, very certain about what we're doing. We want to make sure that everyone there feels reassured, that the staff feel happy with what's going on and feel able to keep it all under control.

'We would perhaps develop as time goes by and allow people to turn unannounced, but then that they must realise that they may not get a table because you can't just have people stood in the bars, it will be table service only in those early weeks.

'We are very, very foreready for the first day, so we do need to warn people that if they've not got a table then they shouldn't come.'

Mr Borg-Neal revealed last Friday that many of his sites are fully booked on July 4 and they are having to take more staff off furlough to handle the bookings. 

A spokesman for the Peach Pubs chain added that it was 'fully booked' already for the first weekend at six of its largest pubs which are due to open on July 4. 

Ministers are expected to ask bars and restaurants to keep a record of everyone who visits, including their mobile phone numbers.

The idea has been used in New Zealand where venues hold a register of everyone they serve each day. If someone falls ill with coronavirus, the list is then used to help with contact-tracing. 

Bars and restaurants will be allowed to resume more normal trading from July 4 as the hospitality sector reopens. 

Many pubs and bars are already taking advantage of lockdown rules that allow them to sell takeaway food and drinks, and drinkers have been out in force in some areas. 

Ministers are expected to publish guidelines later today on what measures venues can take to operate safely. 

In restaurants, waiters will be told not to lay tables until diners are seated, with napkins and cutlery brought out only with food.

Menus will have to be thrown out after being used once. Self-service buffets will be banned and waiters will be expected to wash their hands between serving different tables.

Hotel guests will be encouraged to use room service rather than dining in restaurants, with food left on trays in corridors. If guests become ill they will be asked to either go home or self-isolate in their rooms.

Mr Johnson said today that the tourism and hospitality sectors will be allowed to reopen on July 4 for the first time since March. 

But, in a sign of the risks involved, he also warned that the changes will be reversed immediately if people abuse the new rules and the epidemic begins to take off again.

Speaking in the Commons, Conservative MP Gareth Johnson (Dartford) added: 'Going to the pub is a great British institution and vital if we want to get our economy back on track.

What will the pubs of the post-lockdown era in Britain look like? 

Here is an outline of what Wetherspoon pub customers will experience post-lockdown:

• The pubs will use one entrance with a separate exit door where possible. Customer entry and exit will be marked out by floor stickers and/or barriers. Door security will monitor the numbers entering and leaving to prevent overcrowding;
• All of its pubs will have screens at the tills and there will also be screens to create seating areas where it is not possible to separate the tables by two metres;
• Wetherspoon will provide gloves, masks and protective eyewear - but it is not mandatory for them to wear them unless the Government says so. They will also have their temperatures taken on arrival for their shifts.
• Staff will hand over all drinks holding the base of the glass and when ordered by the app they will be delivered to the table on a tray and placed on the table using the base of the glass.
• Each pub will have at least ten or more hand santiser stations and customers should use them on arrival and multiple times during their visit. One member of staff will be dedicated to sanitising surfaces;
• The drinks menu will remain the same - but food will be pared back and items should be ordered via the official JD Wetherspoon app if possible. But tills will be open and take cash; The pubs will provide sachets (ketchup, mayonnaise, salt pepper etc), rather than their usual condiment bottles;
• Workers must hand over all drinks holding the base of the glass and when ordered by the app they will be delivered to the table on a tray and placed on the table using the base of the glass.

'Would the Prime Minister therefore join me in calling on people from July 4 to do their patriotic best for Britain and go to the pub?'

Mr Johnson replied: 'Yes, I do encourage to take advantage of the freedoms that they are rightly reacquiring, but I must stress that people should act in a responsible way.

'And I know that that is where the public are. I know that is what people want to see.'

He added: 'Yes I want to see people out in the shops - it is a fantastic thing to see; yes I want to see people taking advantage of hospitality again, a wonderful thing; yes I want to see people enjoying friends and family again but they've got to do it in a responsible way and observing social distancing.'

Conservative Sara Britcliffe (Hyndburn) also asked if government would work closely with local authorities so pubs and restaurants may be able to utilise outdoor space.

Mr Johnson joked he may be touring the pubs country-wide himself.

He added: 'There's hardly any area of the country that I don't intend to visit in the course of the reopening of the pubs and hostelries of this country.

'I think there's a massive opportunity now for our pubs with all their inventiveness to think of ways of making their businesses Covid-secure, exploiting outdoor spaces, hitherto unloved, un-valued outdoor spaces that may become havens for tables and chairs... and to use their ingenuity to open up in all the ways that they can.'

Gyms, spas and casinos to remain closed as restrictions are eased 

Indoor gyms, spas and casinos are among the list of businesses that will remain closed by law after the Prime Minister announced further easing of lockdown measures.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson announced that a large number of businesses will be allowed to reopen from July 4, including pubs, hotels, libraries and outdoor leisure facilities.

Detailed sector-by-sector guidance will be published for businesses on how to reopen in a Covid-secure manner.

This may include introducing one-way systems, installing Perspex screens, spaced queuing, increased ventilation and staggering staff shift patterns.

However, many businesses will legally have to remain closed from July 4 as others reopen.

Mr Johnson told the House of Commons that 'difficult judgements' had been made in deciding which businesses were able to reopen.

Many elements of the beauty sector will remain shut including spas, nail bars, tattoo parlours, beauty salons and massage parlours.

Businesses which include close proximity between households such as indoor gyms, soft play areas, spas, swimming pools and nightclubs will remain closed.

Bowling alleys, water parks and casinos will also not be allowed to reopen.

Indoor sports and dance venues and skating rinks will stay closed - however, outdoor gyms will be allowed to reopen.

Addressing close proximity businesses such as nightclubs, Mr Johnson added that task forces with public health experts will help them reopen 'as soon as possible'.

Theatres and concert halls may be allowed to reopen for recorded screenings, provided that they are Covid-secure and do not hold live performances.  

The relaxation on July 4 – Independence Day in the US – comes amid growing optimism that the virus, which has claimed more than 42,000 lives in the UK, is finally reducing to manageable proportions.

Yesterday's death toll rose by 15 – the lowest figure since March 13, ten days before the lockdown began.

Some 2.2million vulnerable people who have been 'shielding' for more than three months were yesterday told they could finally leave their homes from July 6.

The focus of the attempted economic revival will be on activities that can take place outdoors.

Ministers will bring forward legislation this week to give fast-track approval for pubs and restaurants to put seating outdoors, and small shops will be encouraged to set up stalls outside their premises.

The package of measures was finalised by the Cabinet today before being announced by Mr Johnson in a statement to Parliament at lunchtime. 

But government sources said that some indoor venues, including cinemas, museums and art galleries, will also be allowed to reopen provided they take measures to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus. 

Mr Johnson also confirmed the end of the two-metre rule, with businesses allowed to operate a one-metre rule as long as they introduce other measures to cut the virus risk.

At a meeting of senior ministers and officials last night, Downing Street permanent secretary Simon Case, who led a review of the rule, said case numbers were now low enough to reduce the guidance to 'one metre plus'.

But businesses will have to take precautions such as encouraging the use of masks, seating people side by side rather than face to face, and improving ventilation.

A Downing Street source warned: 'We are only able to move forward this week because the vast majority of people have taken steps to control the virus.

'But the more we open up, the more important it is that everyone follows the social distancing guidelines. 

'We will not hesitate to reverse these steps if it is necessary to stop the virus running out of control.'

The changes will only apply in England for now. 

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, yesterday suggested the Government was acting in a 'reckless' way. 

She said it was 'very tempting' to ease restrictions when death rates were falling, but said fresh outbreaks in Germany and China underlined the need for caution.

Pub chain Greene King revealed a new 'safe socialising' layout to its 1,700 pubs ahead of July 4 

Customers will use their elbow to change the indicator on toilet doors at Greene King pubs

Pubs in Britain had urged the Government to relax the two-metre (6ft) social distancing rule during the crisis so they can reopen. This was reduced to one metre by Boris Johnson today

The Cartford Inn in Little Eccleston, Lancashire, has installed greenhouse-style dining pods

A spokesman for the Peach Pubs chain said that it was 'fully booked' already for the first weekend at six of its largest pubs which are due to open on July 4

But Matt Hancock said official data on the epidemic supported the case for relaxing the rules.

The number of new cases fell to 958, the lowest figure since lockdown began on March 23.

The Health Secretary told the daily No 10 briefing last night: 'A month ago, one in 400 people had the virus; now it is one in 1,700 and we can ease the lockdown.'

Today's package of measures has produced the biggest single relaxation of the lockdown so far.

One Whitehall source said it was 'effectively the end of lockdown' – although large gatherings will remain banned, theatres and nightclubs will have to stay closed, and modified social distancing rules will remain in place.

Cinemas will only be able to have customers in every other seat. Museums and galleries will have to operate one-way systems and limit numbers.

Hairdressers will be required to take steps such as wearing personal protective equipment and to cut the small talk to limit the spread of the virus.

The PM also confirmed that from July 4 the British tourist industry can reopen, giving millions the hope of a 'staycation' in the UK this summer.

Hotels, guesthouses, campsites, caravan parks and self-catering properties will all be permitted to reopen if they act to prevent the spread of the virus. Owners of second homes will also be allowed to visit them again.

Ministers must 'seize the opportunity' to force pubs to close car parks as lockdown eases to discourage drink driving, says star motoring lawyer 

The Government should 'seize the opportunity to curb drink driving' by forcing pubs to close off their car parks as lockdown eases, a star road traffic lawyer has urged.

Bars and pubs should be told to seal off their parking facilities and use the space to provide more outdoor seating if they are given the green light to open on 4 July, says Nick Freeman - who has been dubbed 'Mr Loophole' for getting a string of celebrities of driving charges.

He said the move would not only help provide extra space for social distancing and increase capacity for businesses to serve more punters, but discourage drinkers from driving to and from the pub.

'The reopening of bars and pubs is a welcome move for both the public and the economy,' according to the 63 year-old lawyer. 'But inevitably there may well be those who – by default or design – get behind the wheel after having one too many. '

He added: 'The closing of pub car parks is a very visible sign that drinking and driving don`t go together.

'In fact the Government could use this opportunity to launch an anti-drink-drive campaign, citing the fact that pubs are open but car parks are closed.'

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2020-06-23 17:32:58Z
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