London Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for 10pm curfew to be “scrapped” in Tier 2 locations

"Ministers must give businesses the support they need to survive while restrictions remain in place"

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called on the government to remove the 10pm curfew in Tier 2 locations.

The capital was hit with the Tier 2 coronavirus measures last Saturday (October 17), joining large sections of the north of England in the high risk category.

Under the rules, London residents are not permitted to meet anyone from outside their own household or support bubble at home or at indoor public settings. The rule of six limit still applies outdoors.

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The 10pm curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants also remains in place, which Khan argues “makes even less sense” under the Tier 2 restrictions. He said the early closing time “should be scrapped”, reasoning that this “would allow more sittings of single households in restaurants throughout the evening”.

Khan said the removal of the curfew would “boost cash flow at a time when venues need all the support they can get” (via the BBC).

“Ministers must give businesses the support they need to survive while restrictions remain in place,” he explained.

Amy Lamé, who was appointed as London’s first Night Czar in 2016, has also been lobbying for the curfew to be lifted. “The 10pm curfew rules are completely nonsensical from either a health or an economic perspective,” she wrote on Twitter today (October 21).

On Monday (October 19), Lamé wrote: “I fully support those from across our hospitality sector protesting today to #KeepHospitalityAlive. Until @10DowningStreet gets a grip on this virus, ministers have an obligation to give businesses the support they need to survive while restrictions remain in place.”

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She later claimed that “bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues must urgently get the financial support they need to stay afloat”.

Meanwhile, a two-week lockdown has been imposed in Wales. The temporary “firebreak” will run until 6pm on Monday, November 9. The Welsh government has described the move as a crucial step in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

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