Siba Jackson
Sunday 1 Nov 2020 10:57 am
Brits hit the streets last night to celebrate Halloween as it was confirmed England is to be plunged into a second national lockdown.
Revellers in London and Newcastle seized the opportunity to enjoy a Saturday night out after Boris Johnson announced a month-long shutdown from this Thursday until December 2.
Dozens crammed into pub outdoor seating areas dressed in ghoulish costumes including pirates, zombies and Batman villain The Joker.
They defied the miserable weather to congregate in Borough Market and Soho in the capital, as well as the Big Market in Newcastle city centre.
Punters dressed in Halloween attire in central London last night ahead of a month-long national lockdown
Drinkers outside a pub in Frith Street in the Soho area of central London on Halloween night
A Halloween reveller smiles despite the news of a second national lockdown
Outdoor pub areas were packed in the capital last night
But trouble spilled onto the streets as police enforcing tier two restrictions arrested a number of punters who apparently tried to ignore the 10pm curfew, MailOnline reports.
Spirits were dampened by a Number 10 press conference yesterday evening which revealed how the second wave of coronavirus is ‘on track to be twice as bad as the first wave’.
The Government’s chief scientific advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance, warned there could be several thousand deaths every day by the end of the year ‘unless action is taken now’.
People will only be able to leave their homes for specific reasons such as to buy food and exercise.
Revellers seized the chance for a Saturday night out ahead of the imminent second lockdown (Picture: Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Pubs, restaurants and bars have been ordered to close except for takeaways and delivery services.
Non-essential retail and leisure services must also close – although schools, colleges and universities will remain open.
But the latest restrictions have been branded a ‘devastating blow’ to business communities who have described it as a ‘nightmare before Christmas’.
Emma McClarkin, the British Beer & Pub Association chief executive, fears the current situation is potentially ‘the final straw for thousands of pubs and brewers’.
