Pubs that serve food were allowed to open a while back, and I went to one of my old haunts a few times back in June, but for the second time in a row the opening of other pubs has been postponed. For many it is a virtual cancellation.
The original opening date of 20 July was put off at the last moment, which by any measure was pretty shoddy treatment. Like any business pubs need to plan ahead, but that is a concept the current government does not seem to understand. The “new” opening date is 31 August but I seriously doubt that date will be kept.
The government has stated that the priority is reopening schools, which to my knowledge is supposed to happen in September. Given that time-scale I suspect that pub reopening will be pushed back significantly further, my guess being at least October. If not October it will one way or another not be this year. I don’t see any willingness for reopening to coincide with the festive season.
Quite honestly I think a lot of pubs will simply not reopen at all. By the 31st pubs will have been closed for banging on the door of six months and that means unpaid bills throughout the system. Tenanted pub owners are likely going to throw in the towel in droves unless there is a mass write-off of unpaid rent, and the latter ain’t gonna happen unless the government ponies up compensation.
Micheal Martin just stated “No correlation between house parties and pubs being closed”. I stopped listening to his explanation at this point.