UK pub installs electric fence at bar to ensure social distancing

UK pub installs electric fence at bar to ensure social distancing

07/13/2020

A pub in the United Kingdom has put up an electric fence at the bar to make sure that patrons continue to social distance amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

Management at The Star Inn, located in St Just, Cromwell said its staff got tired of some patrons ignoring social distancing guidelines. So the bar installed the wired electrified fence to shock locals into behaving.

“It’s there for social-distancing,” Star Inn landlord Johnny McFadden told CornwallLive on Sunday. “Before the fence, people were not following social-distancing and were doing as they pleased, but now people take heed to the guidance around social distancing.”

McFadden said the fence is normally shut off, but warned: “It can be turned on.”

A couple of patrons were electrocuted by the fence on Saturday night, after consuming a bit too many drinks, according to the paper.

The electric barrier went viral over the weekend after people shared pictures on social media. Many joked about the newly installed fence, while some people appeared a bit more worried.

“Shocking!!!!,” one user joked.

“This is the best thing I have seen for a long time!” another replied.

Another wrote: “Better hope nobody with a heart condition touches it.”

Health experts have said that enclosed areas like bars — seen as hotspots for contracting the virus — are particularly dangerous, due to aerosol particles staying in the air. Bar patrons also typically speak louder which results in more particles being expelled from the body.

“So we don’t know who might spread it,” said Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. “We do know social distancing reduces the risk of transmitting the virus by 90 percent.”

Although it appeared to be unrelated to the newly installed electric fence, the St Austell Brewery — which owns the venue — wrote on its website: “Step back in time, come and visit us, a friendly welcome assured.”

Share this article:

Source: Read Full Article