Updated on 7 July: over the weekend, hundreds of pubs welcomed customers back after three months as coronavirus lockdown measures were eased across England.

Naturally, photographs of crowded streets and venues soon began circulating on Twitter, prompting fears that social distancing guidelines were being ignored. Fears which have, of course, only been exacerbated further following the news that three pubs have already been forced to close after customers tested positive for Covid-19.

“That started well then,” tweeted one person angrily.

“Wash your hands, wear a mask, don’t go to the pub… and never vote Tory again,” added another.

Still one more noted: “How wild is it that 137 people lost their lives to coronavirus in the UK yesterday (for scale, China’s worst daily death toll at the height of their outbreak was 150) yet people are happily going to the pub?

“This is not the end of Covid-19. This is the beginning.”

And many others expressed anger at punters “putting others at risk” with their “stupidity.”

“The British public has no common sense,” snapped one.

It is worth noting, of course, that only three out of hundreds of pubs have reported any issues thus far. And, while there were reports of arrests and early venue closures around the country on ‘Super Saturday’, police said a majority of people acted responsibly.

Still, though, the arguments rage on. Not that this is all that surprising, mind you: after all, this is not the first time that the public has fallen out massively over lockdown rules.

As reported on 25 June: the phrase ‘Yes Boris!’ began steadily trending on Twitter when some, ecstatic over the fact that lockdown rules to control coronavirus would be easing on 4 July, began celebrating the fact that they’d soon be allowed to hit their local pub or restaurant.

Others, though, leaped upon the hashtag to share their concerns for a second wave.

And the result? A lot of squabbling on social media.

“Yes Boris!” read one tweet. “Can’t wait to sip on a nice cold drink in the pub while the ones crying about the new guidelines are hiding indoors twitching their curtains watching people live their lives.”

“Yes Boris, can’t wait for all my extremely vulnerable customers to come back to the pub and ignore social distancing,” said another.

Lockdown easing: everyone has an opinion on the pubs reopening, but let’s resist turning on each other