It was impossible to pinpoint exactly from where yesterday evening's party was coming but party there was. The distortion of the dark played tricks and it was like trying to find your way in a winter fog. Was the noise from someone's house? Somewhere in town? Was this one last gasp, one last blowout, as people prepare for another period of lockdown?
More to the point, what impact would this selfish act have in the spread locally of the virus?
The town itself was quiet for a Saturday night but not so quiet that it was deserted. There were some youngsters about, criss-crossing the Square and wandering up and down Well and Clwyd Streets in search of takeaways, flapping their flesh around as if it were midsummer by the pool. OK, so it was relatively mild at 9ºC but it certainly wasn't balmy let alone blistering.
Most alarming, again, were the clots of young people, ignoring distancing and potentially risking their families with the spread of the virus.
If ever there was a case for another lockdown, here was it, with a minority of irresponsible people gathering on the streets or attending some sort of party, as if there was nothing of concern. With the R number seemingly at 1.4, we are witnessing community transmission.
Meanwhile, inside the pubs, business was patchy. Origin closed at about 8.45 p.m. The Boar's Head held about 15. There were no more than a handful in Wetherspoon's. Four occupied two tables downstairs at the Myddleton Grill. The Park Place had fewer than 10. The Feathers didn't reach half-a-dozen. The Corporation was open but you could not tell how many were within. The Wine Vaults, of course, was closed. Ocean Pearl had two customers at 9 p.m.
After 10.45 p.m. the last adolescents were noisily walking away from town and the last two takeaways at Anchor Corner were still open but empty. And so Saturday night came to a close somewhat earlier than normal. But it isn't 'normal'. In fact, there was a certain desperation about the place, alongside youngsters in a parallel universe who seemingly hadn't noticed at all that life had changed. Or they were too self-centred to care.
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Coronavirus