It was a long, cold and lonely winter in England.
So as the four-month lockout nationwide finally came, nothing would stop people from enjoying a refreshing pint of beer in the morning light on Monday morning – not even rain, freezing temperatures and some quite unseasonal snow.
Pubs have started serving outdoors again as part of a reopening plan that also covers indoor gym sessions, swimming pools, non-essential shops, beauty salons and, for those who have been groping to see some sad animals, zoos. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to “behave responsibly” with their new freedoms, but did not explicitly say they should not get drunk in the snow before breakfast.
A pub in Huddersfield was swallowed when it opened at midnight. “I didn’t even know if anyone would come,” said pub owner Ian Snowball. “It’s in Huddersfield, it’s midnight, it’s cold – but look, everyone’s here.”
A drinker commented with certainty: “It snowed earlier, but I was still going out, only I put on my coat.” Another, sitting in a thick jacket next to a frozen-looking gin and tonic, pointed out: “After 14 months without going anywhere, except for funerals, it’s a wonderful place.”
Sky News reported that 50 audiences headed to the Fox On The Hill pub in south London this morning. Perhaps the most exciting was Tony Blake, 59, who joined the news network: “I’m so happy it’s open again, it’s incredible, I’m so happy.” Student Sasha Carrington, 19, said she plans to stay there for the whole cold and icy day, explaining, “We put on our thermal blankets, we’ll stay outside.”
Pippa Ingram, 51, and Sue Bell, 55, celebrated a cold pint by the sea in Kent, with Ingram describing the first sip in detail. “Absolutely delicious,” she said. “It will not last long at all! That’s a blow. ” Back in Huddersfield, in the time sequence recorded at 8:17, a woman identified only as Sandy was seen having pints with her friends and said Good morning Great Britain: “It’s not so cold after a while sitting in the sun.”
A pub in Coventry seems to have taken things a little too far. The videos posted online showed more than 100 people walking down the street near the Oak Inn after making public their grand plans to open a massive outdoor space with heaters, tents and blankets. The pub is now under investigation for its “unmanageable quantities”.
But, to a large extent, the great reopening has been welcomed as a major milestone – especially after the successful launch of the vaccine in the UK, which has high hopes that there will be no more blockages. Nicholas Hair, owner of Kentish Belle in south-east London, told BBC News that there was a “feeling of celebration” in the country, adding: “I hope this is a kind of rebirth and that we will reopen for the foreseeable future.”
As for Boris himself, government sources confirmed that the prime minister received a long-awaited haircut on Monday – but his planned trip to the pub was canceled out of respect for the late Prince Philip.