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Boris Johnson has warned pubs and beer gardens will not be reopened yet as “roiling” punters risk further spread of coronavirus.
Speaking in the Commons, the prime minister rubbished reports in recent days that pubs might open their doors sooner than the July 4 target date set out in the government lockdown roadmap.
He told MPs: “What we don’t want to see is a roiling, Bacchanalian mass of people that can spread the disease.”
It comes after Tory MP for Waveney Peter Aldous had pressed Johnson to allow beer gardens, following news that zoos, outdoor cinemas and safari parks will be allowed to open from June 15.
Johnson said the government wanted to “reopen hospitality as quickly as we can” but poured cold water on beer garden hopes.
He said: “The house will remember that according to the roadmap we were going to reopen outdoor hospitality no earlier than July 4 – that is still the plan.
“We are sticking to our plan.”
The PM said new guidance was being developed for landlords, but added: “It is very important that people understand the continuing risks that this country faces.”
Aldous had asked the PM to consider allowing beer gardens to reopen from June 15, adding “the feedback I’m receiving is that many pubs are now facing the unpalatable and unwanted prospect of having to make staff redundant”.
It comes after the PM was reportedly told the country faced 3.2m job losses in the hospitality sector should lockdown continue throughout the summer.
Johnson is also under increasing pressure to cut the two-metre social distancing rule to one metre – the space recommended by the World Health Organisation and followed by some other European countries.
The cut in the regulation is seen as crucial in allowing retail, offices and the hospitality sector to operate, but it is thought many scientists oppose the move as unsafe and risking a second spike in the disease.