PARTY IN THE STREETS
Anger grows at ‘idiotic’ 10pm curfew as video shows FIFTY drinkers dancing in street after pubs kicked them out
ANGER is growing at Boris Johnson's 'idiotic' boozing curfew as a crowd of FIFTY drinkers were recorded dancing in the street after being kicked out of pubs in Birmingham.
Critics say the measure is doing 'more harm than good' as boozers were videoed partying to a brass band after the strict new measures see thousands of people turned out of bars at the same time.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
13
13
13
13
Official data shows that pubs and restaurants accounted for less than three per cent of coronavirus infections in the week before the curfew was introduced.
Schools and care homes were responsible for more than two thirds of all positive tests, weekly figures from Public Health England have revealed.
Now Dr Flavio Toxvaerd, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Cambridge, blasted the consequences of the new rule as "completely predictable" - and says pubs should be open for longer, with staggered leaving times.
Writing on Twitter, he said: "Create a bottleneck and people will crowd together... could have learned this from other countries."
And Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, says the drinking deadline is pushing crowds into supermarkets and off-licences for more alcohol to drink on the streets.
Mr Burnham has called for a 9pm curfew on buying all booze to stop house parties - and said: "Perhaps if there was a 9pm curfew on sale of alcohol in supermarkets and shops, that would prevent the rush to shops once the pubs have closed."
But Downing Street has rejected calls to immediately review the 10pm curfew.
Asked if the restriction would be reconsidered, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "No. I would obviously say we keep all of our social distancing measures under review but no there's nothing in that regard."
The spokesman said there are existing rules around how off-licences serve the public during the pandemic when asked about concerns of them being busy after the curfew time.
And he suggested changing the time to allow more flexibility for a staggering of exit times from pubs was not being considered.
He said: "I'm not aware of anything specific in that regard. The decision to reduce time to 10pm was based on the fact it had been in operation in the local lockdown areas and had been considered to strike the right balance."
Londoners party in Leicester Square amid 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants
It comes after shambolic scenes at the weekend as boozy gangs gathered in central London, Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol.
After last orders and pub doors closed on Saturday, shocking footage and pictures captured large groups mingling throughout the night, and not sticking to social distancing.
Queues of dozy Brits keen to carry on partying were seen waiting to go into shops and newsagents still selling booze until 11pm, before drinking on the street.
And new footage from Moseley in Birmingham shows dancers gathering in close to listen to a brass band.
13
13
13
13
The city is currently facing stricter lockdown laws than much of the UK, with people banned from mixing with people they do not live with.
Officers with West Midlands Police were called to the scene and told those who had gathered to go home.
Ash Shahsavary recorded the video.
The 26-year-old, who has worked in the club industry in Birmingham, said he heard the brass band playing as he waited for an Uber home.
"It's a glaringly obvious issue after these restrictions were put in place," he said.
"Forcing venues to close at 10pm creates a melting pot of people who aren't socially distancing, and they're showing drunk behaviour.
"There aren't any regulations in place for how to do this properly."
He says he feels the night-time industry has been scapegoated by the Government.
"This curfew is an ill-informed decision that seems much more likely to be detrimental to people's health," he said.
An eyewitness in Moseley told : "We went for a quiet drink with some pals.
"We finished around 9.45pm, came out and as we were waiting for our Uber home, we heard a brass band start playing music.
"Within seconds there were more than 50 people gathered, dancing as if they were in a nightclub pre-Covid.
Lockdown fines in the UK
The highest fine for flouting social distancing rules is £10,000, which can be issued to any organiser of an illegal gathering.
England (over 18s):
£100 for the first offence, lowered to £50 if paid within 14 days.
£200 for the second offence, then doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £3,200.
Wales (over 18s):
£60 for the first offence, which may be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days.
£120 for the second offence and for each further offence.
Scotland (over 16s):
£60 for the first offence, lowered to £30 if paid within 28 days.
£120 for the second offence, then doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £960.
Northern Ireland (over 18s):
£60 for the first offence, lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days.
£120 for the second offence, then doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £960.
"What does our government think is going to happen when they force venues to close at 10pm following six months of close to no business?"
Over the weekend, police in the city sent 1,000 revellers home from locations including a snooker hall, student party and massage parlour over the weekend.
Many officials have hit out at Boris Johnson's new curfew.
One Tory MP told : "Which clown-faced moron thought it would be a good idea to kick thousands of p***** people out from the pubs into the street and onto the tube at the same time?
"It’s like some sort of sick experiment to see if you can incubate a second wave."
Piers Morgan branded the scenes in London a "farce".
Meanwhile, Sacha Lord, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, said the curfew was "ill-thought-out".
He wrote on Twitter: "It's very clear, across the UK, that this ill-thought-out 10pm curfew has pushed everyone out of venues with socially distanced measures, into the streets, into off-licences, supermarkets, overcrowded public transport and house parties.
Beer pressure
What are the new rules for pubs, bars and restaurants?
A 10pm curfew for all pubs and hospitality venues across England came in from September 24.
The measure came about three months after restaurants and pubs were allowed to reopen after the coronavirus lockdown.
Boris Johnson said the new 10pm curfew means physically "closing and not just calling for last orders".
Businesses selling food or drink must be closed between 10pm and 5am.
The time that pubs are actually open after 5am to serve customers will depend on their individual premises licence.
"Every operator predicted this. Shambolic."
The curfew hasn't been backed by Sage - the panel of scientific experts chaired by Sir Patrick Vallance.
Members of the organisation are said to be increasingly frustrated that they are being overruled - while still being blamed for harsher measures.
And scientists are reportedly calling on the Government to release their advice so the public know they had no part in the curfew.
The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents brewers and pubs across the UK, have urged ministers to review the curfew,
CEO Emma McClarkin described the curfew as "another devastating blow to the beer and pub sector";.
She said: "As we have seen this weekend, the hard 10pm curfew has led to the consequence of customers leaving venues and filling the streets en masse.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"We would like to see the hard 10pm reviewed to allow us flexibility on doors closing time and allow customers to stagger their exits.
"Having not been consulted by the Government on the announcements last week, we do stand ready to work with the Government to find the safest and most practical ways to tackle coronavirus."
13
13
13
13
13
Topics