A car tries to drive along a street full of revelers drinking in London’s Soho district (AFP)
London:
British police said on Sunday that the revelers who filled London’s Soho district, night pubs have finally reopened, have made it clear that drunk people cannot distance themselves socially.
The hotel industry in England has come back to life after a three month hiatus from the coronavirus on what the media have dubbed “Super Saturday” or “Independence Day”.
Pubs and restaurants were allowed to start seating customers and barbers were able to take out their mowers for the first time since March.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked why he decided to plan the grand reopening for a Saturday instead of a potentially less chaotic Monday.
Johnson said Friday that it wouldn’t have made a big difference anyway.
But the head of the British police federation said he had ended up dealing with “naked men, happy drunkards, angry drunkards, fighting and even more angry drunkards” during his shift.
“What was clear was that drunk people cannot / do not want to distance themselves socially,” John Apter told London radio.
He said his own police service in the southern city of Southampton “had managed to cope”.
“I know other regions have had problems with assaulting officers,” said Apter.
Analysis of police reports on Saturday evening showed a similar level of wrongdoing across England.
Agents of southwest Devon and Cornwall recorded nearly 1,000 reports of “alcohol-related and antisocial behavior” on Saturday evening.
There have also been reports of illegal raves in London and the north-east which have resulted in mass arrests and unrest in the north Midlands.
Wales and Scotland pubs will partially reopen in mid-July while Irish pubs have been serving table service since Friday.
Government on the defensive
The foreclosure of Britain lasted longer and ended later than in most European countries due to an increasing death toll which is now the third highest in the world.
The official death figure is around 44,000 and the figure in which COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate is over 50,000.
Either measure makes the UK the worst country in Europe.
A safe reopening that avoids the need for second closings over large areas is considered essential to Johnson’s long-term success.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended government decision making and downplayed any immediate safety concerns.
“From what I have seen, although there are images to the contrary, very, very broadly, people have acted responsibly,” Hancock told Sky News.
“So, overall, I’m happy with what happened yesterday. It was really good to see people outside and largely, very largely social distancing.”
Last week, the Johnson government closed stores in Leicester city center due to a spike in local infections.
The epidemic was attributed to local food and clothing producers who failed to observe social distancing measures and violated other rules.
The National Crime Agency launched an investigation after the Sunday Times reported that one of the factories operated a sweatshop that paid illegally low wages.
The agency said the officers “visited a number of business premises in the Leicester area to assess concerns about modern slavery and human trafficking”.
No charges have been laid to date.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
