Government should be worried – packed beaches show that much of Britain is enjoying not working

Crowded seasides in the middle of the week will be of concern to Downing Street, and not only because of a second wave, writes Chris Blackhurst. How are they going to persuade people to go back to work?

The sunbathers are not the retired or stay-at-home mothers with young, non-school age, children. By and large they’re people who usually would be at work or in education (Getty)

If I was in the government, studying those pictures of crowded beaches, I would be very worried.

Not just because of the clear breakdown in social distancing and the increased chances of a second wave of the virus. No, I’d also be alarmed that this was midweek, at a time in the year when the schools are not on holiday. The images send a clear warning signal: much of Britain is enjoying not working.

In my middle-class social bubble (funny, how that phrase has become so fashionable) I could be forgiven for supposing that much is humming along as usual. When I meet friends for common or park walks and drinks, or we sit in gardens or on “the wall of of shame” outside the local (they do take-outs and the pub is directly opposite a wall running along the bank of the river, so night after night, and it must be said, during the day as well, there is a line of folk sitting and downing pints), the chat is of how they’re meeting, how they’re able to work pretty much normally, via Zoom or Teams.