KEEPING THEIR DISTANCE?
REVELLERS SHOW LITTLE RESPECT FOR THE RULES, PAGES 4&5
LARGE groups of people, street hugs and raucous behaviour ensued in Derby just hours before a Tier 2 lockdown came into force at a minute past midnight on Saturday.
As the whole of Derbyshire prepared to have tougher restrictions enforced – they will be superceded by Thursday’s full English lockdown – the message was clear that people should show respect in the face of the coronavirus.
But this was something that was far from some people’s minds on Friday evening, as the streets were filled when Derby Cathedral’s clock struck 10pm and a curfew came into play.
I was at the scene as many people turned out to see friends before the restrictions came in. As I got to town at 8pm, things did seem calm.
While there were queues outside the pubs, they were composed and even quiet as punters waited to go into some of Derby’s most familiar watering holes. Security guards had their work cut out, but they worked incredibly hard to keep people in check, to ensure not too many were inside venues and things were running smoothly.
At 9pm, the pubs appeared to be buzzing but the streets were quiet, as many were enjoying a few drinks before the curfew came into place. It was only when 10pm drew closer that things began to change.
From Saturday, areas including Derby city, Amber Valley, Bolsover, Derbyshire Dales, South Derbyshire and the whole of High Peak, were placed in the “High Alert” category, affecting about a million people across the county.
Mixing between households is banned across all indoor settings, including pubs, bars, restaurants and other hospitality itality venues, as well as inside your own home.
However, you u can still meet people from other households outdoors, including your garden, a pub beer garden or out at a park, if social distancing cing and the “Rule of Six” are respected.
Council leaders had urged Derbeians to act as though they were already in Tier 2. As the clock struck 10pm, with just hours remaining before the rules came into force, those in the pubs came out on to the streets on what felt like not just a normal Saturday evening – but a very busy one.
Large groups appeared to congregate outside in the streets. People in different groups were asking each other for lighters for cigarettes.
Punters began hugging and shaking hands, others had their arms around each other and social distancing appeared to go out of the window.
Many appeared to have drunk far too much, falling over in the street, singing, sin shouting, even spitting sp in the street street. There was eve even, what ap appeared to be, v vomit on the g ground.
I’m all for g going out and h having a good ti time but it ap appeared to be toom too much with everythin rything that is going on.
One person I stopped said he “didn’t care” about coronavirus and “it wasn’t going to stop me going out”, others didn’t want to speak as they didn’t want to miss out on “valuable drinking time”. There appeared to be to some kind of kerfuffle in between Market Place and Iron Gate. One man squared up to another and punches were thrown. People stopped to watch and even offered encouragement.
An ambulance was soon on the scene, followed by PCSOs, and then came three police cars from Sadler Gate and from the bottom of Market Place.
Passing punters stopped to see what was happening. Again, they staggered, they fell over and laughed raucously before pulling themselves up.
Some groups stood close together, many without masks, and many appeared to not to be worrying about social distancing.
The sound of broken glass being kicked could be heard, chatter and shouting also filled the air. It was still nothing like the scenes we have seen in Liverpool or London, but what got me was that many still did not seem to be taking things seriously.
The emergency services began to leave the scene, but several police officers remained behind to keep a close eye on the remaining revellers still in the street coming up to 11pm - just over an hour away from the tougher rules coming into force. As the last of the revellers left the scene, Derby was plunged back into silence.
And with Boris Johnson announcing a full lockdown at his Downing Street briefing on Saturday, things will have to change again in just a few days’ time.
I am all for going out and having a good time but it appeared too much with all that is going on Nick Reid