Morning thoughts on tier restrictions...

The main aspect of tier 2 that people focus on is the Substantial Meal.
The wasn't brought in to restrict pubs from opening, but to allow them to open at all. Restaurants could open, and serve alcohol, but pubs couldn't. So it was...

...decided to allow pubs to operate *as* restaurants. The whole substantial meal thing was supposed to remind them off that. Can you go out for a drink if you're having food? No, you're supposed to be going out for food, and maybe have a drink while you eat.

But without the necessary support to allow pubs to not only close, but be able to still be there to reopen, pubs have been forced to find ways to save their businesses, and the focus switched from going out for food with drink, to going for a drink with food.

The focus is there now though, and it's not working.

Trade in venues is down around 80%.

This isn't sustainable. Businesses are trading below their break even point, they're losing money every time they open.

What can be done though to solve this?

This issue isn't hard: allow pubs to open.

Rather than saying they can opoerate as restaurants, let them operate as pubs.
Keep the distancing, keep the sanitising, keep the household rules. But stop trying to find ways to not give them...

... financial support.

Instead, let them make their own money.

Use the money being distributed as furlough etc to pay for enforcement of the laws. Close the venues not sticking to the rules. And make the rules clearer and simpler, easier to follow.

If the government really wanted a Christmas win, they'd do this next week when they redo the tier structure.

Can't see it happening though.

And now, I'm off to the brewery to open the tap for takeouts and have a pint.

Okay, coming back to this with the thought... Why keep the restaurants open?
When looking at the rest of the restrictions with the tier, stay home unless you have to go out especially, you don't *have* to go out to eat.
You should really only be going outside for exercise.

So why are the restaurants open?
Given the restrictions, the only time you should be getting food while out is when working. Nipping to a sandwich shop or a restaurant for lunch.

Sonia this whole substantial meal mess simply because MPs can't make their own packed lunch?

But then, supermarkets sell sandwiches. As with allowing pubs to operate as restaurants, because restaurants sell alcohol, so why can't pubs? Can it be that restaurants are able to open because supermarkets also sell sandwiches?

And supermarkets also sell alcohol.

This train of thought makes it seem that it's all a case of "If they can do it, why can't we?" rather than a case of "everyone must do it safely, or not at all."