Following four months of COVID-19 restrictions that hampered nightlife, U.K. officials will allow indoor venues in England to operate starting August 1st, 2020 as part of the fourth stage of a phased return. Social distancing measures will be required of all establishments.
Speaking on behalf of the country’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced the guidance – which does not necessarily apply to Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales. It follows a £1.57 billion relief package unveiled two weeks ago to support cultural institutions sidelined by the pandemic.
The lawmaker action follows a surge of illegal raves in England that nightlife professionals suspect was caused by the absence of nightlife and music festivals. As recently as this past weekend, police were reportedly powerless to break up a gathering of 3,000 near Bath.
The announcement also highlights concerns of Night Time Industries Association Chief Executive Michael Kill, who said the previously announced relief package allowed nightclubs to “slip through the cracks.” For their part, the Scottish government approved a £2.2 million aid package specifically for grassroots bars, nightclubs and venues.
The fifth stage, for which a timeline has yet to be announced, will allow establishments to operate with a “fuller audience.”
Image credit: Sarthak Navjivan
