LONDON: Some of the beer may be stale from sitting in kegs for over three months, but Britons were still eager to sip it on Saturday as England reopened its beloved pubs and lifted a wave of other coronavirus restrictions.

“We’ve been waiting for three of four months to get back to the pubs,” said Nick, a 38-year-old accountant who popped out for a pint with three friends for the first time since everything shuttered in late March.

“At some point you’ve to get back out there,” he said about the lingering dangers of an illness that has officially killed more people in Britain — 44,131 — than anywhere else in Europe.

The government is trying to coax its hospitality sector back to life on what has been touted as “Super Saturday”.

Restaurants are finally allowed to open their doors to customers and barbers can get their clippers out. More people can gather for picnics without being approached and warned off by the police. “I couldn’t wait,” said London pub manager Dorota Pilarczyk.

“Mentally I’m very happy. The lockdown has been pretty hard.” Getting into the spirit, The Spectator magazine warned against the dangers of drinking stale beer in pubs that were all shut in a hurry, suggesting that a pint actually might taste better on Sunday.

And Rishi Sunak, the finance minister, urged Britons to “eat out to help out”, pointing out that pubs and restaurants often employed younger people entering the jobs market for the first time. “This is really about social justice,” said Sunak.

But safety was still at the front of many people’s minds and fear that social distancing measures could be forgotten as alcohol blood levels rise late into the night.

“I’m no killjoy,” said Health Secretary Matt Hancock, “but the virus can still kill”.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2020