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England's 10pm pub curfew could be scrapped under new plans being considered by ministers, it has been reported.
The move could see the curfew pushed back an hour to 11pm with supermarkets ordered to stop selling alcohol at the same time as well.
Boris Johnson addressed the nation on Tuesday September 22 to reveal a raft of new measures to try and combat the rocketing number of coronavirus cases which included forcing pubs, bars and restaurants being forced to close by 10pm.
But some scientists and politicians have since questioned how effective the curfew will prove – with some fears it may be doing more harm than good.
And now, government insiders are said to have been impressed by Northern Ireland’s own regulations on night-time hospitality, where there have been few incidents of public overcrowding or house parties after closing time, HuffPost UK reports.
The new measures would be similar to those implemented in Northern Ireland, where the curfew is set at 11pm, with last orders at 10.30pm and supermarkets and shops banned from selling alcohol after that time.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has already called for an "urgent review" of the policy.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I received reports that the supermarkets were absolutely packed out to the rafters with people gathering.
“I think there needs to be an urgent review of the emerging evidence from police forces across the country.
“My gut feeling is that this curfew is doing more harm than good. It’s potentially contradictory because it creates an incentive for people to gather in the streets or more probably gather in the home.
“I don’t think this has been fully thought through to be honest.”
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- Coronavirus
- Lockdown
- Pubs
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