London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

First night out since lockdown begins in England

People across England are beginning their first night out in three months, after coronavirus restrictions eased.
Hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants as well as hairdressers, cinemas and theme parks have reopened with strict social distancing rules.

But ministers have urged caution and England's chief medical officer said the latest step was not "risk-free".

It comes as buildings and landmarks across the country get set to light up to celebrate the NHS.

People are also being encouraged to place lights in their window at 21:00 BST to remember those who have died from the virus.

Downing Street has been lit up blue while other public buildings including Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower, the Shard and the Wembley Arch will also be illuminated.

Restrictions on the hospitality sector remain in place in Scotland and Wales, while pubs have been able to open in Northern Ireland since Friday.

Police in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall reported gridlock on the roads earlier - including a high volume of caravan owners heading to the coast.

Despite the relaxation of restrictions, some 30% of bars, pubs and restaurants have stayed shut, according to the Night-Time Industries Association, amid fears for safety and concerns over how to implement social distancing guidance.

Campaign for Real Ale national chairman Nik Antona said: "The government have not really been helpful with their guidance, leaving it to the last minute in a lot of cases." Some pubs "want to see what's going to happen" before opening their doors, he said.

At a pub in Newcastle, punters are enjoying their first "proper pint" in more than three months. "The atmosphere is a bit different... that was expected. But everyone's having a good time," one customer told the BBC's Fiona Trott.

"The regulations are good and everyone is sticking with them, by the looks of things," said his companion.

But it's a very different sort of Saturday evening from pre-lockdown expectations. Customers are expected to book a table in advance, to register their details on arrival and to stay no more than three hours.

While pubs in Scotland remain closed one publican in Berwick-upon-Tweed claimed 70% of his pub's bookings were from over the border.

Publican Marc McDonald told BBC Scotland people had travelled from as far afield as Glasgow and Edinburgh to drink at The Meadow House.

It is a different story in Leicester where the streets were largely deserted as pubs and other venues remain closed after the city became the first local lockdown on Monday, following a spike in Covid-19 cases.

Other rule changes that came into effect on Saturday include allowing two households to meet indoors or outside, including for overnight stays - although they have to maintain social distancing.

People in England are still urged to stay 2m apart, but the new "one metre plus" guidance means they can get closer if they use "mitigation" measures, such as face coverings and not sitting face-to-face.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak welcomed the reopening of businesses, saying it was "good news" people were working again.

On a visit to The Bell and Crown in Chiswick, west London, Mr Sunak said the almost half a million people who worked in Britain's pubs and bars were "helping us all to enjoy summer safely".

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised the government's messaging as "all over the place", telling TimesRadio: "You have had some government messaging saying go out and have a drink, other messaging saying be responsible, be cautious - the messaging, I think, has been very poor over the last few weeks."

Despite the easing of restrictions, public health experts are continuing to warn people to be cautious to avoid a second UK wave of the epidemic.

Prof Robert West, an epidemiologist from University College London, told the BBC: "We are looking at around 20,000 new infections a week and around 1,000 deaths a week and the rates aren't coming down very fast."

The latest figures, released on Saturday, showed a further 67 people had died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 44,198.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×