Switch Preston reopening criticised as city 'on cusp of lockdown'

A senior police officer has criticised a Preston nightclub's decision to reopen as a bar as the city stands "on the cusp" of a local lockdown.

The owners of Switch Preston on Market Street said they took legal advice before reopening on Saturday.

Preston City Council, which has asked people not to host visitors at home, said it was legally allowed to open.

Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said to "open a venue to 500 young people with drink is just not helpful at all".

In a statement, Switch Preston's owners said they had repurposed the live music venue as a bar because nightclubs were not allowed to open under current lockdown restrictions. But they said capacity at the venue had been reduced from 1,200 to 400 and other safety measures had been put in place including sanitiser stations, additional seating and one-way systems at the bar and toilets.

"It is, and has always been, our intention to reopen and repurpose Switch to deliver a safe and enjoyable experience... even if it's as a bar," they said.

The latest government data shows Preston recorded 50 new coronavirus cases in the week to 30 July, up from 19 the week before. This included 18 on 29 July and nine day after.

As a result, the city has a rate of 35 cases per 100,000 residents, up from just over 13 per 100,000 the week before.

The city council has asked residents to follow a number of extra measures in a bid to halt a rise in Covid-19 cases.

Director of public health Dr Sakthi Karunanithi said he "wouldn't be surprised" if stricter lockdown measures were implemented like in east Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

"We are reaching a point where any more easement of the restrictions will have to be balanced against protection from spread of the virus," he added.

The council's chief executive Adrian Phillips said environmental health officers and Lancashire Police had visited the venue twice on Saturday and found it was sticking to the agreed safety measures which included "no dancing".

Dr Karunanithi said he felt "uneasy" about the reopening, but added that Preston was "working in a legal framework which balances out the economy and people's freedom... and keeping ourselves safe".

DCC Terry Woods said Preston was "on the cusp of restrictions this week", adding: "To open a venue to 500 young people with drink is just not helpful at all."

He said the Lancashire Resilience Forum - a group of organisations which responds to emergencies in the county - would be discussing the reopening "so that doesn't happen again".

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