Covid: Spalding clubbers 'hugged and kissed' as venue reopened

The owner of a nightclub, which reopened at midnight after Covid restrictions were eased, said it is was like a New Year's Eve celebration.

Matt Clark, who runs XO in Spalding, Lincolnshire, said guests "hugged and kissed" as they celebrated being able to go out again.

"There was almost an end-of-the-war kind of feeling about it," he said.

There are now no limits on numbers attending events, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged caution.

"It was very similar to New Year's Eve but obviously it was a lot quieter up until the midnight countdown, and then just kind of went crazy," Mr Clark said.

"The atmosphere was absolutely amazing - [people] throwing their masks off and hugging and kissing each other," he said.

"Is there another lockdown around the corner? Who knows, but for now it's great to get back to doing what we love."

Some scientists are predicting that UK infections - currently at about 50,000 a day - could reach 200,000 a day later in the summer.

Speaking about restrictions lifting, England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, a keen Boston United supporter, urged people not to "literally tear the pants out of it".

He told BBC Radio Lincolnshire during his team's 5-0 victory over Lincoln City in a friendly on Saturday, it was great to be back supporting his team.

However, he said: "We have to be cautious, I'm afraid, for a while longer."

He said the vaccine rollout had "completely changed the landscape", but added that it could be a "bumpy winter ahead".

Theatre staff have also welcomed a lifting of capacity limits on venues.

Natalie Hayes-Cowley, artistic director at Lincoln's New Theatre Royal, said: "We need to have full capacity so we can keep this beautiful theatre going.

"It's still a long way to go, this by no means is over, but it's a step in the right direction," she said.

"It's going to take time for our industry to heal and to grow again, to build up confidence and for patrons to visit, and we do have a sense of relief and hopefulness for the future of our industry.

"It's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel," she added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, there were 4,889 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire last week, up 41% on the previous week's 3,452 cases.

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].