Pubs in the UK have been closed for weeks in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Millions of people have been gagging for booze, and everyone is staying home to keep the number of new COVID-19 cases to a minimum.
But despite warnings and announcements that the authorities have made for the past weeks, the police have been shocked to catch a small group of people and a pub ignoring the rules.
According to reports, officers got a tip from an anonymous informer that The Pitsmoor Hotel in Sheffield, England was still operating under the radar and people were silently heading in to have a tipple.
When they busted the joint, cops reported they saw people hiding to avoid being caught.
In a statement, South Yorkshire Police liquor licensing manager John O’Malley said:
“Officers attended the premises and found a number of people hiding in cupboards. The pub was clearly still open for business.”
“What makes this more significant, is that the license holder has already been served a prohibition notice under the legislation for another premise.”
“Licences for both venues are now under review by ourselves and Sheffield City Council, so there could be long-term implications for these businesses.”
Authorities said pubs, clubs, and bars have been warned they will be at the back of the pack in terms of places that can open up once the coronavirus curve has been flattened.
In an interview, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told BBC’s Andrew Marr Show:
“Areas of hospitality will be among the last to exit the lockdown, yes that is true, they will be among the last.”
“This virus has changed so much, it’s a new virus of great potency and lethality. It spreads remarkably fast, we want to ensure that we can get on top of it.”
“We also want to ensure the economic life of the nation, the social life of the nation can return over time but even as some restrictions are lifted the way in which our schools, the way in which our shops and factories operate will change as a result of what we know about this virus and what we know about social distancing.”
“Of course, we want to make sure that the best scientific advice guides us as we take an approach towards easing these restrictions in the right way with appropriate safeguards.”
The Government of the United Kingdom officially extended the lockdown restrictions for at least another three weeks on 16 April.
The announcement was made by Foreign secretary Dominic Raab in the daily coronavirus briefing, where he was joined by chief medical officer Chris Witty and chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance.
Raab announced lockdown in UK will be able to end when five factors are already satisfied.
These include space in hospitals, a sustained fall in the daily death rate, reliable data to show infection rate is decreasing, testing and PPE on hand, and making sure the NHS won’t be overwhelmed.
The said extension of the measures, which were released on March 23, meant all UK residents must stay at home in all instances other than to shop for essential supplies, obtain medicine, exercise once a day, and travel to work if they absolutely cannot work from home.