Preston lockdown: most pub-goers stick to new rules, but some had to be sent home

Prestonians who hit the city centre on Saturday night were “largely compliant” with the new partial lockdown put in place to help stem a spike in coronavirus cases.
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That was the assessment of Preston City Council’s deputy leader, Peter Moss, who was out and about with enforcement teams visiting venues to ensure that they were adhering to restrictions introduced less than 24 hours earlier.

Under the new measures, people from more than one household are not allowed to mix indoors in places like pubs and restaurants - nor in each other's homes or gardens.

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Police were patrolling Preston city centre on Saturday night to ensure the new partial lockdown was adhered to (image: Preston Police - via Twitter)Police were patrolling Preston city centre on Saturday night to ensure the new partial lockdown was adhered to (image: Preston Police - via Twitter)
Police were patrolling Preston city centre on Saturday night to ensure the new partial lockdown was adhered to (image: Preston Police - via Twitter)
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“When questioned by the police, it was clear that they were from different households, so they were asked to leave – and reluctantly complied.

“Officers adopted a firm but fair approach and also spoke to the licensees of the premises concerned – because ultimately the responsibility lies with them. Business owners and door staff were told that they had to have in place a more robust system of questioning customers before they were allowed to enter.

“However, it was encouraging that there were so few problems identified across the whole evening. We understand that it’s a challenging time for hospitality businesses in particular – some of them are literally fighting for their survival.

“Ultimately, though, we have got to bring the trajectory of infections down – that’s the most important thing,” Cllr Moss stressed.

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The new restrictions came into force after Preston entered the top ten areas of England with the highest rate of Covid-19 cases in England.

While most of the pubs and restaurants in the city centre were given a clean bill of health on Saturday night about how they were enforcing the stricter regulations, Cllr Moss said it was clear that some takeaways were not sticking to the more basic guidance about keeping their premises Covid secure.

“The numbers of people within some of these outlets was a problem – and some weren’t making sure that their customers were wearing masks [which is now law] or sanitising their hands before entering. There was also a lack of information on display in several cases.

“We did take some immediate steps to rectify some of the concerns, but we’ll be revisiting these premises to ensure that they are complying,” Cllr Moss warned.

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Police in Preston tweeted their thanks to members of the public for their social distancing efforts on what was a quieter than usual Saturday night in the city centre.

Officers worked with the fire service and the city council’s environmental health team to enforce the new household-mixing rules.