Strangers' Dining Room

Coronavirus Curfew Rules Don’t Apply in Westminster | Eater London

"Classified as a "workplace canteen," this dining room initially closed under the March lockdown but was among the parliamentary bars that reopened to MPs over the summer. Because of that classification it has been exempted from the 10pm coronavirus curfew and from new mask rules for staff, a decision reported by The Times that critics say exploits a loophole. The exemption has fed a wider sense of double standards around pandemic restrictions — even prompting sarcastic suggestions that such venues might soon be offering eye tests — and added to arguments that the curfew is largely symbolic and was not modelled for clear epidemiological or economic benefit to hospitality businesses." - James Hansen