Images of packed out Soho streets emerged on Twitter with some users welcoming the idea of a last night out before the strict restrictions come into force. One Twitter user said: “Last night before the last lockdown, London was near silent.
“Tonight it was marvellously vibrant and upbeat… opinion is changing, and hopefully this the last time we will be here.
“Young, liberal, moderate people are perfectly capable of spending safely – and we need just that?!”
The rules set out by Boris Johnson last Saturday became effective from 12.01am today.
They will last until December 2 although ministers have warned an extension could not be ruled out.
It wrote: “Bars, pubs and restaurants have now closed. Now is the time for everyone to make their way home safely.
“Officers will remain patrolling across #London tonight explaining the rules and encouraging everyone to go home.”
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty echoed warning from ministers earlier this week, saying the lockdown expiry date was not definitive.
During a meeting with the Commons Science Committee, Prof Whitty hinted that the newly-introduced lockdown could be extended past December 2.
He said: “Putting exact dates on these things is nearly impossible. Neither Patrick, nor I, nor anyone who is advising Government would say this is definitely going to happen on this date.
“I think people who give this degree of certainty have not understood modelling of this sort, with scenario uncertainty, properly works.”
He stressed the importance of introducing a lockdown now with the R rate rapidly increasing, risking adding pressure on the NHS.
Prof Whitty said: “The inevitably if your remains above 1, even by quite a small amount, once you have actually got to a high level of bed usage, you have got very little headroom.
“So quite a small R can take you from I am just about coping to I am not coping.
“We are looking forward in a bad way to the fact that the most difficult time for a respiratory virus is over the winter months.
“We have hardly got into them so the chances of things suddenly improve without action between now and the next few months are quite low.
“If you are giving advice to ministers, that has to be the advice you give.”
