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Sat, 23 November 2024

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Boris Johnson urges Brits not to 'stuff this up' after pubs reopened across England

Boris Johnson revealed he had his haircut over the weekend

2 min read

Boris Johnson has urged Britons not to "stuff this up" after thousands flocked to pubs and bars over the weekend.

The Prime Minister has defended the decision to reopen pubs and bars across the country as he said most people "did the right thing" during the first weekend of relaxed lockdown restrictions.

Speaking during a visit to a rail construction site in Yorkshire, Mr Johnson revealed he had taken advantage of the new rules to visit a pub near his Chequers country residence as well as having a haircut.

But he urged people not to become "complacent" over the new restrictions, saying images of packed streets in some parts of the country were proof some people were "getting it wrong".

His comments came after police forces reported the weekend being "quiter than expected", but raised concerns about social distancing, with Police Federation chief John Apter claiming it was "crystal clear" that drunk people were unable follow the new rules.

But asked if it was possible for drinking and social distancing to mix, Mr Johnson said: "I think they can mix if people are sensible.

"Actually my evidence I've seen is yes - there have been some places where people have been imprudent and you can see there's been some people who have been getting it wrong.

"But actually overwhelmingly over the weekend I think the people of this country did the right thing."

He added: "If we can keep it up, if we can keep going in the way we are, maintain discipline, enjoy ourselves but enjoy ourselves safely, then we will continue to drive down this virus and we will be able to get back to life as close to normal as possible as fast as possible.

"But we cannot be complacent, we really can't afford to stuff this up, to blow it now."

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