10pm curfew = packed city centres at 10.05pm

[Faraway20]

Surely that was predicted? Did boris think everyone would teleport home at 10pm?

I've got a feeling the pictures of the packed city centres will be used as a justification for shutting pubs entirely, even though the government caused this with this stupid rule!

It was always going to happen. The thing about later closing is you'll tend to have people drifting off beforehand - some people will call it at 10pm, some at 11pm, some until the bitter end. Staggered closing times also help with that.

Exactly. It's even more stupid when schools and workplaces are staggering start and finish times and breaks to avoid this exact issue.

Anyone old enough to remember 1120 chucking out will remember the loitering and crowds in the areas that had lots of pubs

Yes it was predictable. And yes, the government knew this would be the result of the new rules.
But unfortunately they could no longer justify following proper advice in the light of the public outcry to close pubs early - pub people can’t socially distance

I didn't see any outcry to close pubs early?!

Not every city was mobbed come 10 pm. I was out last night and the bar we were in went round every table at half 9 to take last orders and remind people to vacate by 10. We left just before 10 and made our way to a city centre bus stop and it was perfectly calm and civilised. Of course, daily mail photographers wouldn’t have been interested in that would they.

Funnily enough this was commented on by Sarah Vine in her Mail column:

^If women ruled the world...

We'd have worked out that by imposing a blanket 10pm curfew all that happens is the entire world hits the streets at the same time which, when you’re battling a pandemic is, as the civil service likes to say ‘sub-optimal’. Slow handclap.^

—Shane she didn’t mention to her DH in advance of the policy—

NB column only read as linked in FWR re GRA issues

Unlikely since a lot of pubs have reduced capacity and you can only book for a 2 or 3 hour slot.

Swansea was deserted last night, even though the lockdown doesn't start until 6pm tonight.