Independence Day?

So...pubs (and other places I'm less interested in) are able to reopen from tomorrow.

I don't imagine many people read this blog but those who do will know my enormous love for pubs with good beer.

So - you might think I'd be rushing straight to support my favourite local pub.  Actually, I won't be.

It's not that I don't want my lovely pubs reopened, I so do.

It's not that I'm wholly content with the gorgeous canned and bottled beer that we've been buying - it's amazing beer but it's still not as good as drinking good beer in the pub.

Am I frighted about contracting this awful virus?  Actually, no.  I'm sort of resigned to getting it at some point (if I haven't already succumbed) and whilst I know it could be very serious indeed and I'm not trivialising it, but sometimes people get really nasty diseases and we have to deal with it.  I am comfortable at taking the risk for me.

What I'm not comfortable about is how much virus there still is out in the community.  I'm very worried about the NHS being able to cope with another spike and that the people most at risk seem to be front line workers - and disproportionately people on low income jobs, people who aren't white, and people with other medical conditions.  I also have a father in law who is medically vulnerable and the best beer buddy needs to be confident he can pop around to see his dad and help if help is needed.

So, when will we go to the pub?

We'll likely give it a couple of weeks and see how things pan out:  how people behave in pubs, how the industry views things, how virus incidents shift and probably do it when we think the time is right to go to Bristol.

Meanwhile - we've had a lovely Arbor delivery of mixed 4% ish beers and the fridge beer will do for now.

If you're going to the pub - remember to be kind to the staff:  most of them don't have much of a choice but to work and they don't like the new precautions any more than you do but they're aiming to keep you and your families, and themselves and their families as safe as they can.