Back to the Bar, putting safety first
Monday was ‘freedom day’ in England (but not the other 3 UK nations) and that meant being able to order at the bar and not wearing a mask.
Hmmm. Pubs and pubs businesses have had a tough time with little Government support so the desire to run things as near to normal as possible, allowing some money to be made, which in turn secures jobs, is fully understandable.
However…. I was less than impressed with the unfortunately ‘gung ho’ approach of some pubs and pub chains which seems to an extent to be being promoted even by SIBA and CAMRA. Masks, social distancing etc were there for a reason. To protect both staff and customers. Pub staff need functioning pubs but if they end up with long Covid that won’t help the pub or themselves.
I note though that many responsible pubs are maintaining safety measures at least for now.
Of course I’m a regular pub goer (when they are open). I’m happy enough to order from a table (tho I’d could do without a proliferation of Apps in order to order). I quite like also ordering at the bar, if its not busy. That doesn’t mean standing at the bar.
For the moment I’ll be sticking to pubs I know operate safely (as far as they can). Pubs are social spaces and they should also be places where social solidarity is important.
That of course would be much improved if more pub chains recognised trade unions
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