Ministers will face demands on Monday to require pubs and cafes to ban outdoor smoking in return for gaining permission to serve “pavement drinks” as the country emerges from the coronavirus lockdown.
The Government is relaxing licensing laws temporarily to encourage al fresco eating and drinking to help the struggling hospitality industry revive after more than three months of complete closure.
But it has been warned that attempts to stimulate Continental-style “cafe culture” over the summer must not be at the expense of public health by allowing smoking at tables.
When smoking was banned in pubs they lost a lot of trade and some pubs went out of business. If smoking is banned outside then it seems logical to assume the same would happen again.
I think the high alcohol duty and extortionate business rates had the greatest effect. In my old local the smokers just went outside, it did not stop them from going to the pub or drinking. The prices of the drinks going up put them off from consuming as much though.
Since lockdown more are drinking at home and finding it much cheaper and some of the older regulars, that I know, say they will not be returning to the pubs.
Where I live, to have a good effect, they would also have to stop all the cars, lorries and busses ( 3 numbers, 2 every 10 mins and 1 every 15 mins.) and a night bus. For my local pubs smokers are the least of the problem.
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I went to the doctors 3 weeks ago with a continuous mucus cough
, shortage of breath and general tiredness. He said it was COPD
