Easing lockdown has opened up bars and restaurants in the UK. Is it too soon, what is the R number, am I that desperate for a pint?
All valid questions, but the reality is that people are sick of being stuck indoors and are willing to congregate down their local. Whether after a few pints they take to the streets for some late night revelling or they maintain a sensible distance at all times and observe hand sanitizing conventions… different strokes for different folks.
The English and Irish have a wee weakness when it comes to alcohol. It helps to loosen the tongue and removes inhibitions. The local bar or pub is often the hub of the community. Whether you go there for a swift half, a bit of a session, a family meal out or a chance to watch the football, it provides an essential function. It is a place where relationships are formed and memories made.
The rush to get back to some kind of normal is typified by pints being pulled and the hubbub of people out enjoying themselves.
Us killjoys with our overcautious ways must seem strange to those party people celebrating the end (or the beginning of the end) of lockdown. The new normal has begun.
odespinner 