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Matt Hancock has praised three pubs for closing down again after drinkers tested positive for coronavirus.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Health Secretary said that the closures, just days after pubs were allowed to reopen on Saturday, showed that the UK’s contact tracing system was working.
The Fox and Hounds in Batley, West Yorkshire, the Lighthouse in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, and the Village Home in Gosport, Hampshire, reopened on July 4, but have since decided to close again after finding out about customers testing positive for Covid-19.
Mr Hancock told MPs the pubs were “doing the right thing by their customers and by their communities”.
“This is NHS Test and Trace working precisely as intended,” he added. “Three pubs shut so that others can be open.”
Jess Green, who runs The Lighthouse, said she rang at least 90 people who had left their contact details during their visit on Saturday after she found out that one of the pub’s regulars had tested positive.
Ms Green told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “The main thing that was going through our heads was we had to make sure everyone was safe, that we contacted every one of our customers.
“We took it upon ourselves, because obviously test and trace can do all that, but we took it upon ourselves to do it because we knew that we had done it before it got out there.”
Ms Green, who said the calls took her all day on Monday, said the experience was “stressful”.
Super Saturday – in pictures
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A police officer watches on from an elevated position as revellers drink in the street outside the bars in Soho, London
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A street cleaner sweeps a street in Soho
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Customers give a toast with their drinks at the Shakespeare’s Head pub in Holborn, London
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Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon shortly after midnight and reopening in Canterbury
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Louise Wilson and Jennifer Arnold were married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight
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Michael Robinson, 61, has the first drink at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey, north London
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Clare Streeter wears a face mask as she has her hair cut as the first customer back at the strike of midnight in Canterbury
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A member of the public has her temperature checked at the entrance to Alton Towers
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One of the first drinkers at the reopening of the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London,
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Andrew Slawinaki, 51, reading his paper while having a pint of Guinness at the reopening The Toll Gate
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Robert observes social distancing queuing for a pint at The Mossy Well in Muswell Hill in London
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A customer sanitises their hands at The Mossy Well
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Customers drink beer at The Holland Tringham Wetherspoons pub in London
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Customers walking into the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London
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A member of bar staff pulls a pint at the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London
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Customers queue to order a drink at The Holland Tringham
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A worker carries a beer at The Holland Tringham
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Bar staff waits for customers at the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London
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Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon
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Owner Carole Rickaby cuts customer Sandra Jacobs’ hair at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden just after midnight
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A customer has her hair washed at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden
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Customers have their hair washed and cut in Canterbury
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Jonathan Callister has his hair cut shortly after midnight in Canterbury
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The Chair salon owner, Katie Hancock, wears a protective face shield as she washes and cuts the hair of Clare Streeter
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Jennifer and Louise Arnold-Wilson married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight
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Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office, where Jennifer and Louise were married at one minute past midnight
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Members of the public queue to enter Alton Towers
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A police officer watches on from an elevated position as revellers drink in the street outside the bars in Soho, London
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Borough Market, London
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A street cleaner sweeps a street in Soho
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Borough Market
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Newcastle
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London
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Central London
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Manchester
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Customers give a toast with their drinks at the Shakespeare’s Head pub in Holborn, London
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Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon shortly after midnight and reopening in Canterbury
Getty Images
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Louise Wilson and Jennifer Arnold were married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight
Halton Borough Council/PA Wire
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Michael Robinson, 61, has the first drink at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey, north London
PA
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Clare Streeter wears a face mask as she has her hair cut as the first customer back at the strike of midnight in Canterbury
Getty Images
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A member of the public has her temperature checked at the entrance to Alton Towers
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One of the first drinkers at the reopening of the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London,
PA
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Andrew Slawinaki, 51, reading his paper while having a pint of Guinness at the reopening The Toll Gate
PA
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Robert observes social distancing queuing for a pint at The Mossy Well in Muswell Hill in London
Getty Images
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A customer sanitises their hands at The Mossy Well
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PA
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Customers drink beer at The Holland Tringham Wetherspoons pub in London
REUTERS
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Customers walking into the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London
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A member of bar staff pulls a pint at the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London
PA
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Customers queue to order a drink at The Holland Tringham
REUTERS
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A worker carries a beer at The Holland Tringham
REUTERS
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Bar staff waits for customers at the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London
PA
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Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon
Getty Images
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Owner Carole Rickaby cuts customer Sandra Jacobs’ hair at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden just after midnight
Getty Images
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A customer has her hair washed at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden
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Customers have their hair washed and cut in Canterbury
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Jonathan Callister has his hair cut shortly after midnight in Canterbury
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The Chair salon owner, Katie Hancock, wears a protective face shield as she washes and cuts the hair of Clare Streeter
Getty Images
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Jennifer and Louise Arnold-Wilson married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight
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Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office, where Jennifer and Louise were married at one minute past midnight
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Members of the public queue to enter Alton Towers
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The Fox and Hounds in Batley also said it would be closed until further notice after a customer told them on Monday that they had tested positive for coronavirus.
The pub said on its Facebook page that all staff had since taken a test and added that it would be “fully deep cleaned and when safe to do so we will reopen our doors”.
The Village Home in Gosport said it had also “had a case of coronavirus in the pub”, adding that “some of us are in isolation”.
Its statement on Facebook said: “The pub is now shut but all being well will open again on Saturday. Anyone who was in the pub over the weekend there is no need to isolate unless you show symptoms or are contacted direct by the trace group. Thank you and hope to see you soon.”
Meanwhile a second pub in Gosport also closed its doors after the Village Home said it had had a confirmed case.
In a statement on Facebook, the Fighting Cocks said that the pub itself had not had a confirmed case itself but had closed as a precaution.
The statement read: “Following a local confirmed case of Covid-19, we have made the very difficult decision to temporarily close our doors to ensure the safety of both our staff and customers.
“To confirm, we have not had any reported cases of suspected nor confirmed corona virus, but have decided to err on the side of caution.
“This decision hasn’t been made lightly and whilst we have made every effort to adhere to government guidelines, including the track and trace system, numerous sanitation stations and taking temperatures prior to each shift, we cannot guarantee that someone who has been in contact with a confirmed case has not been in the pub nor will they come in over the coming days.
“We are awaiting further guidance from Environmental Health and also our brewery, but for the meantime, we want to ensure that we are taking every precaution to keep you all safe.”
A spokesperson for Downing Street said the closure of the pubs showed “just how seriously pubs and the public are taking their responsibilities to keep others safe”.