Vocal Voices

Pubs are to open tomorrow and we are being asked to behave sensibly, whatever that means. Do we do a Cummings or a Stanley or a Bojo and shake a few hands?

If there is nothing to worry about from, say, a pandemic, then why do we need to be more sensible than normal? But if it is not safe and a whole raft of new measures are needed to keep us safe then why are we dropping our guard?

I am going to be sensible, and safe, by not going anywhere near a pub or even an area where pubs are open. Good luck to all those who are dying for a drink.

They might be sensible going into the pub but nearly insensible coming out.
How much sense they'll have after six or seven pints is an open question.

Not going anywhere near a pub - we aren't drinkers any more - but we are sussing out our favourite cafe tomorrow morning. There's plenty of outside space, so it should be ok, but it's bound to be different There are very few live cases here, to be fair, not sure if I would risk it in a city, or anywhere with a higher risk.......

In the past, we'd just visit pubs and restaurants for a spontaneous meal (or possibly a morning coffee) if we were out somewhere.

Having seen the hoops you are now going to have to jump through to eat-in at a cafe, restaurant or pub - one cafe locally, attached to a farm shop, has even said they will temperature-test you on arrival for your booked meal - we've taken the decision that we won't be resuming our previous "lifestyle" until all the current restrictions are lifted, whenever that may be. Basically, we no longer see it as a pleasurable thing to do if it's going to be that much hassle, and I shall be VERY interested to see if the "oldie retireds" like us in this area feel the same, because that's going to be £1000's a month which will remain lost to the local economy .....

I will definitely report on our experience Ossie!

Think it's going to be to much hassle just to go,for a meal in sorry to say and pubs,open at 6in the morn is just crazy

The hotel/bar in our village is operating a book a time slot system, the other pub (which is quite rough) is just proposing to turn people away if they’ve reached capacity. I can’t see that going down well.

We don’t often go to a pub, usually it’ll be just in Summer when we walk Bill to one with a large outdoor seating area on the other side of the common, but I’ve no plans whatsoever to do that. It’s easily walkable from the town centre and there aren’t many pubs around here with outside seating, especially near to the town, so I can see it being overwhelmed.

Our only nod to eating out has been to get a takeaway coffee and cake from a lovely independent coffee shop in Lichfield, and then sitting in the park opposite. They’ve had a good system going, with a counter across the doorway and a staff member walking along the queue and taking orders, from a safe distance of course. By the time you’re at the front of the queue your order is ready so there’s no waiting in close proximity to be served. You just tap your card on the reader before being handed your item (and some dog treats if you have a pooch with you).
Usually they have a few tables set up in front of the shop but that can’t be done with a queue, it looks like for now they’re continuing as they have rather than opening up inside. I’m happy with that, like Ossie said the thought of eating out doesn’t seem very pleasurable with the current restrictions in place.

That is the point isn't it Ossie. Almost all of these places are pleasure/convenience based. If it becomes an inconvenience and unpleasant, then people are not going to partake.

The crunch will come when all the government support for loans, mortgages and furlough are removed, but people won't go back.

Job losses have only just begun. Ditto business closures.

Apparently landlords are annoyed that licensing laws meant the earliest they could open was 6am when they wanted to open at 0.01am God bless the emergency services is all I can say

Putting 20:20 hindsight aside for a moment; opening up is a very tough decision to have to make.

If places are not allowed to open they go bust, it really is that simple. Open up too many and too quickly and there is a real risk of a flare up in cases / deaths or even a second wave. The Evening Standard is reporting government data showing that the R rate in London could now be 1.1 and is rising in all other areas, with some nudging R=1.

My thinking is that the behaviour of many of us, mainly the over 60s, has changed forever and that it is us who keep lots of places ticking over during the day. Think carveries and 'Ladies wot lunch' as two examples. It could be that by the time we feel comfortable going back to normal a lot of these places will have disappeared. I hope not, but I do worry for them.