The logo of the Barking Frog.
It has been 8 months since the city of London has been able to enjoy a night out, inside bars like The Ceeps, and The Barking Frog. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted night life like no other. Lockdowns, closures, and strict rules and regulations have caused for nightlife to become essentially non-existent. Whether it be bars, clubs, or restaurants, the opportunity to take to the town on a night out has been drastically reduced to nothing.
The pandemic has left plenty in question. What will nightlife be like when this is all over and it’s safe to go out again. Large gatherings have been restricted for months now. From a social aspect, people will need to readapt to large groups of people again, because staying at home has become the new norm. Not to mention the health and safety protocols that will surely be put into place once things are able to open up again.
Yasin Kanani, a local paramedic feels as though the pandemic drastically changed his social life for the worst.
“COVID affected my social life the same way I think it affected most people in the world, where it basically relinquished it. I don’t really have as much contact with anyone else besides the people I live with and the people I go to work with. Besides that, there isn’t any room to socialize since the restrictions have also tightened…”
People’s social lives weren’t the only thing impacted by the change in nightlife. The impact the pandemic has had on businesses, let alone nightlife has been tremendous. The negative effects for some caused permanent closures, or complete rebranding. A London staple The Barking Frog has gone from a well-known student bar, to a sit down restaurant in the heart of downtown London.
Joe Murphy, a local business marketing manager and club promoter recognized how devastating the pandemic has been for all the establishments involved in the night life industry.
“They will be losing a lot of money due to COVID. There is going to be a lot more restrictions in place with seating etc. Also, the restrictions on serving alcohol has really affected business. We’re going to see a lot of places go out of business.”
Both Yasin and Joe also added that they are eager to be able to go out again and socialize with friends as well as meet new people like before the pandemic.
A lot of us took the little things for granted while we had them. After months of not being able to go on a night out with friends, the reopening of bars, clubs, and restaurants to large groups could not come soon enough. Now going into another lockdown, it’s important everybody does their part, and follows the guidelines set in place, so we can fight this virus together and let the good times continue.
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