Nightclubs elated, but doubts cloud England’s ‘Freedom Day’ – KIRO 7 News Seattle

LONDON – (AP) – Sparkling wine, confetti, a midnight countdown: it’s not New Years Eve, but it might as well be for England’s clubbers. After 17 months of empty dance floors, the country’s nightclubs are reopening with a bang.

From London to Liverpool, thousands of young people are planning to dance the night away at Freedom Day parties once Monday, when almost all coronavirus restrictions in England are to be lifted. Face masks will no longer be required by law, and with the repealed social distancing rules, there are no longer any restrictions on those attending theater performances or major events.

Night clubs that have been closed since March 2020 can finally reopen without occupancy restrictions or mask and test obligations. Many of the reopening parties planned for the occasion sold out days in advance.

It’s “the moment we’ve been waiting for, the moment our customers have been waiting for,” said Tristan Moffat, Operations Director at London’s The Piano Works.

The company is keen to reopen its doors after losing about £ 40,000 ($ 55,000) a month during the pandemic, he said. The Freedom Day bash begins on Sunday with a countdown to midnight, when employees plan to cut a ribbon on the dance floor and serve customers free prosecco.

But while entertainment companies and ravers cheer, many others are deeply concerned about the UK government’s decision to fully reopen the economy and stop mandating masks at a time when COVID-19 cases are on the rise. More than 54,000 new cases were confirmed on Saturday, the highest daily number since January, although reported virus deaths have remained comparatively low so far.

Officials have repeatedly expressed confidence that the UK’s vaccine rollout – 67.8% of adults or just over half of the total population received two doses – will keep public health threats at bay. But leading international scientists called England’s Freedom Day a threat to the world on Friday, and 1,200 scientists backed a letter to British medical magazine The Lancet criticizing the government’s decision.

“I can’t think of a realistic good scenario for this strategy, I’m afraid,” said Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester. “I think it’s really a degree of how bad it’s going to get.”

Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, warned that “we could get into trouble again surprisingly quickly”. Johnson himself downplayed the talk of freedom, emphasizing that life would not immediately return to what it was before the pandemic.

Vaccines are not foolproof, said virologist Tang, especially not against potential new “super variants” that may emerge after people are allowed to mix without precaution in the summer. Add a flu resurgence in the colder months, and that means “a very serious winter,” he said.

Nightclubs, in particular, are a huge hit because their core customer base – people ages 18-25 – were eligible for a first dose of vaccine through the National Health Service last month and have not yet been offered the second vaccinations it needs strengthen immunity.

“This population is not fully vaccinated. You don’t mask. They are in close contact, they breathe heavily, they scream very loudly to the music, they dance with different people, ”he said. “This is the perfect mixing vessel for spreading the virus and even generating new variants.”

Johnson has urged nightclubs and other high-profile venues to use COVID-19 “socially responsible” status certification and only accept guests who can prove they have been double stabbed, have a negative test result, or have recovered from the illness .

However, there is no legal obligation to do so. In a lightning poll of 250 late-night bars and clubs by the Night Time Industries Association last week, 83% said they won’t ask people about their COVID-19 status, according to Michael Kill, the trading organization’s executive director. Many owners see the passports as a great deterrent for customers and accuse the government of “giving the money” to the companies.

“We heard people boycott businesses that do this,” Kill said. “The last thing we want after months of closure is that trading capacities are hampered again. Either hire or not hire. That puts us under enormous pressure. “

Russell Quelch, Operations Director of REKOM UK, the UK’s largest operator of late night bars and clubs, described the government’s stance on COVID-19 passports as “impractical” and unfair.

“Ultimately, there is no difference between a busy midnight pub and a nightclub. Picking nightclubs doesn’t make sense to me, ”he said.

Johnson’s decision to abolish the legal requirement for indoor public face covering has also split opinion and created some confusion.

Days after the Prime Minister said masks were still “expected and recommended” but not mandatory in crowded interiors, London Mayor Sadiq Khan disagreed with the message, saying that passengers on the capital’s subways and buses must continue to wear them .

Some retailers, like bookstore chain Waterstones, said they would encourage customers to stop their masks. However, many believe that implementing such guidelines will be difficult without the support of the law, just like COVID-19 status.

The end of restrictions in England on Monday will be a critical moment in Britain’s handling of the pandemic, which killed more than 128,000 people nationwide, the highest death toll in Europe. Other parts of the UK – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – are taking more cautious steps out of the lockdown.

Salsa teacher Esther Alvero is one of many residents who say they are excited but fearful. Alvero is the co-founder of Cubaneando, a company that ran salsa club nights, courses and staging for gala events before the pandemic. Alvero says she has had next to no income over the past year. Her savings were all gone, and her dancers had to survive by taking part-time jobs as delivery drivers or cleaners at Amazon.

“To be honest, we can’t wait to come back to this. But in a way it’s scary, from nothing to everything at the same time, ”said Alvero.

“I’m scared, but we have to survive,” she added. “We have no choice because the economic consequences could be worse than COVID itself.”

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