THESE two pubs on the border between England and Wales are a stark illustration of how different coronavirus rules affect people’s lives.
Wales entered a second lockdown on Friday as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the country.
But for pubs on the border of the two countries, their future is uncertain.
Chloe Skinner, landlady at the Angel Inn in Grosmont, said a national lockdown is not the way to go when the prevalence of the virus in Monmouthshire is far below that of areas such as Cardiff.
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said the lockdown would only be for the period set out, but hasn’t ruled out another lockdown in the future.
“There has to be a border somewhere, but we’re a bit disappointed that there hasn’t been a UK-wide approach to this, it increasingly seems a devolved issue,” said Ms Skinner, 31, who took over the pub with her partner Jim Hamilton in September 2019.
“Being a border pub, we feel it the most: we feel the contrast the most.”
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She added: “We were prepared as we thought it would happen. He (Mark Drakeford) said it will only be two weeks, but we are prepared beyond that.
“To go through a two-week lockdown and then back to normal and then to go into an open-ended lockdown: that would be the end of our business."
Just 1.2 miles down the road at the Bridge in Kentchurch, which sits on the England side of the border, chef Williams Chambers agreed that both countries should have the same measures.
Mr Chambers, 35, said there was little difference between the two pubs, so it is unfair one has to close while one stays open.
He said: “People are scared. Guess how many people are booked in this week? I’ve got about six bookings all week!
“It’s horrible. People don’t want to go out. People are staying at home and people aren’t going out.
“We’ve come to terms with it, me and my wife have come to terms with it. Something bad could happen to us, to our neighbours, it’s the nature of running a business in a pandemic.”
The fire break lockdown will run November 9. Pubs, restaurants and non-essential retail have closed and people told to stay at home.
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