It has been reported widely in the news that the government believes that we are right on the edge of the freedoms they dare allow us without risking a second wave of Covid-19 and therefore may have to consider removing some as they grant others. It has been suggested that as kids MUST go back to school in September then pubs SHOULD be closed to balance the risk (Pubs or Schools)!
Of the 45 million adults who live in the UK, over 50% enjoy attending the local pub regularly as a form of entertainment. For some it is an escape mechanism – from work, life in general, the spouse, the kids, the TV they watch or all of these (103 Reasons Why British People Go To The Pub)! So that’s 22.5 million people providing jobs for the 900,000 people who work in pubs and providing a big boost to the economy. There are no doubt many more millions of tourists from abroad who attend UK pubs too in normal times but these are not normal times. I’m no pub goer myself and I’d be happy if there weren’t any but I have to admit that many of the girls I enjoy dancing salsa with are available for dancing because they like going to pubs. Being a man of compromise, I am therefore happy to accept their existence in order to meet the people who go there for the purposes of dancing salsa while avoiding any opportunity to drink alcoholic beverages there for which I have no need at the high price they charge OR the lower price available in supermarkets.
There are 11 millions kids (less than 18 years old) with around 11 million parents – assuming that most single parents are liaising with somebody in loco parentis so to speak! 8.8 million of those kids go to school and it is 50% of their parents who need to avoid going to pubs to spread any Covid-19 their kids pick up from school. The other 18 million people can carry on going to pubs because they aren’t effected by the kids going back to school in September.
That will keep the pubs in business and prevent the loss of 900,000 jobs and the effect of stress on the people affected including their dependents which could be just as bad in the long term for their healthy living as the effect of catching Covid-19 might be.
I’m not sure it actually makes sense to prioritise kids going to school against people going to pubs but if that’s a balance that the government needs to consider I’m just saying it’s not one or the other – it less of one in favour of the other! However, although it’s better for 4.4 million people to give up going to the pub than 22.5 million we mustn’t forget the effect on the mental and thereby physical health of those 4.4 million people and that it may in fact be better in the longer term to live with the extra risk when the kids go back to school because otherwise even more people may die as a result!
