Pubs and restaurants 'responsible for just 3.2% of Covid-19 outbreaks' in week 10pm curfew was announced
Pubs, bars and restaurants were responsible for just 3.2 per cent of confirmed coronavirus outbreaks in the week the Prime Minister introduced a 10pm curfew, new data suggests.
Public Health England publishes a weekly update of data on how coronavirus and respiratory infections are spreading around the country.
According to the latest figures that were published on Friday, a total of 772 respiratory infections were reported in the week leading up to September 20, and 69 per cent of these were linked to Covid-19 infections.
From September 14 to 20, just 22 of the 532 coronavirus-linked outbreaks were from food outlets in England. Of the 22 outbreaks, 17 (3.2 per cent) had at least one linked case that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
It comes after Boris Johnson announced last week that the hospitality trade must now comply with a 10pm curfew as the UK faced a "perilous turning point" with a surge of Covid-19 infections.
Despite the new measures, large crowds gathered in city and town centres following the new closing time, which came into force in England on Thursday.
Long queues were seen outside off-licences as people rushed to buy more alcohol while others piled on to public transport with little or no social distancing.
Downing Street said the measure struck the “right balance” between protecting the public and allowing pubs and restaurants to continue trading.
Asked if the restriction would be reconsidered, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No. I would obviously say we keep all of our social distancing measures under review but no there’s nothing in that regard.”
Number 10 also played down the prospect of allowing more flexibility for a staggering of exit times.
The spokesman added: “I’m not aware of anything specific in that regard. The decision to reduce time to 10pm was based on the fact it had been in operation in the local lockdown areas and had been considered to strike the right balance.”
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said he had received reports of supermarkets “absolutely packed out to the rafters” following closing time on Saturday with people rushing to buy more alcohol so they could carry on drinking.
“I think there needs to be an urgent review of the emerging evidence from police forces across the country,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“My gut feeling is that this curfew is doing more harm than good.”
Professor Susan Michie, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said it was always “predictable” that ejecting people on to the streets at the same time would lead to crowds forming.
Prof Michie, a behavioural scientist at University College London, said it was “especially concerning” that people were being pressed together in the confined spaces of public transport and that it was of the “utmost importance” ministers listened to scientific advice.
“These consequences of the curfew undermine the gains saved by shortening the latter part of the evening and may even be counterproductive,” she said.
“The measure is another example of a restriction brought in outwith a coherent strategy and without sufficient consultation with relevant experts and communities.”
The weekly updated PHE data also revealed that 195 outbreaks of respiratory illnesses were recorded in care homes in England from September 14 to 20 and 134 (25.2 per cent) of these incidents were linked to positive coronavirus tests.
The majority - 341 outbreaks - were recorded in educational settings and 222 (41.7 per cent) of these cases were linked to Covid-19.
Just six incidents were linked to prisons and 124 outbreaks were linked to workplace settings.
PHE records every two or more laboratory confirmed cases of a respiratory pathogen as an outbreak.
Additional reporting by PA Media.
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