A landlady of a Salford pub has reacted to the roadmap out of lockdown set by Boris Johnson yesterday.

Lisa Connor, the landlady of the King’s Arms in Salford, says despite the announcement, things are still very ‘pie in the sky’.

She said: “I’m glad there is a roadmap out, but things are still very ambiguous. There are still a lot of unanswered questions.

“I just don’t want anyone to rush into it because the worst thing to happen and the worst thing for all the businesses is to prepare and spend all the money to open up again, to then be put back into a localised lockdown.

Lisa Connor, landlady of The King’s Arms Salford. Credit: Deborah Manley

“That’s what will kill us all off”.

From April 12, pubs can open beer gardens to the general public, but this is not an option the King’s Arms will be pursuing.

“We’ve got a beer garden, but it’s not financially viable to open our tiny beer garden and for me to take all my staff off of furlough for the amount of people we could fit in, especially with a Mancunian April.

“We definitely won’t be opening for beer gardens, we’ll be waiting until we can have people back inside.

Some members of the public have criticised the dates proposed to be too cautious, whereas some believe it is the right approach.

“Personally, I want to open and be in the safest position possible, open and stay open for the duration”, Connor said.

“I think he’s [Boris Johnson] set out a roadmap to appease a lot of people, to say that we’re coming out of it. But it is still not very data-driven, or fact-based in my view.

“That’s just like writing it out on the back of a fag packet in my view”.

When Salford Now spoke to Connor in November, after the local tier restrictions were imposed, she was asked what her message to the Government would be, she stated that she was confused and was concerned about the financial implications for society, but what would be her message now?

“We’re exhausted.

“Thinking positive but stop giving us too much. I don’t know, I don’t know what to say. We’re exhausted”.

However, the King’s Arms is a pillar within the community, and are looking forward to the time when they can welcome people back through their doors.

“All of our community groups that we house, they’ve had nowhere to go and nowhere to meet up.

“So when the restrictions lift we’ll be able to get our knitting club back, our fishing club, all of our independent socialist clubs.

“It will be nice to give someone a place to come and meet again that’s dry”.

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