Drinkers branded ‘fools’ for queuing for Wetherspoons as Covid lockdown eases

Gloucester: Pub punters are welcomed back as lockdown eases

But the thirsty drinkers were branded “fools” and “idiots” online, with people fearing the behaviour will cause the UK to go back into a strict lockdown. Wetherspoons were busy across the UK, and pictures taken in Bath, Somerset, and in central Gloucester show just how popular the chain is.

Patrons flooded inside the boozer in Bath, reports Somerset Live, minutes after it opened today. 

But one Facebook user shared: “Fools, they’ll moan when we’re locked down again.”

Another said: “Idiots!”

A third posted: “And we will be back in lockdown by July.”

In Gloucester, pictures taken inside a Wetherspoons show happy patrons sipping drinks as early as 9am.

Andy Tracey, 70, told Gloucestershire Live: “It feels fantastic being back in the pub.”

Pete and Maz Murray, married for 10 years, sat down for a few pints.

“It feels good to be back in a pub. It is just nice to get out. It hasn’t been since Christmas since we’ve been out,” Maz, a cleaner, said.

Drinkers queue for Wetherspoons as the lockdown eases (Image: Somerset Live)

Our reporter Samuel Port found one man, called Andy, pretending to play the piano in the boozer.

Samuel, who recorded a Facebook Live piece for the publication, said: “He mimed playing the piano on the table in front of him, amplifying the already electric atmosphere.

“He then treated the Gloucestershire Live viewers, in their thousands, to a live rendition of ‘Our Song’ by the esteemed singer.”

One visitor to a Wetherspoons in Nottingham said: “It is a nice pub. It is nice to have a bit of excitement in our lives again. I feel safe too.”

Pete and Maz Murray visited a Wetherspoons for drinks (Image: Gloucestershire Live)

Two mates smile and embrace in a Wetherspoons (Image: Gloucestershire Live)

Overnight stays in other people’s houses can also resume from today, as can hugging between close friends and family.

Indoor entertainment venues like cinemas and museums reopen, and outdoor events including sporting stadiums can have crowds of up to 4,000 people or half the maximum capacity.

Foreign holidays can also resume from today, with the first flights to green list countries taking off this morning from airports in England.