Coronavirus: First Peterborough pub closes its doors after Government advice to stay away

Boris Johnson made his plea to people in the UK to avoid social contact in his address at 5pm, and within hours the pub’s owners sadly revealed their decision on social media - but promised to be back.

The post said: “We’re sorry to say that following the latest Government advice this afternoon we have no option but to close the Ostrich.

“Apologies for the inconvenience this will cause, but there is no other responsible action we can take. Please stay healthy and safe and look out for one another. We will keep all our customers, bands and suppliers as up to date as possible, and will of course be contacting all performers individually.

“Rest assured we will re-open as soon as we are able to do so. Thanks for all your support. Sue and Graham.”

The post was met with dozens of messages of support.

Meanwhile The Stoneworks in Peterborough city centre posted that it would be postponing a planned “tap takeover” event at the venue in Church Street.

The post went on: “We here at The Stoneworks pride ourselves on doing the best by both our customers and our staff.

“With this in mind we have taken the hard decision to postpone our upcoming tap takeover with Buxton Brewery.Our tap takeovers bring people from far and wide into our bar. In the current climate this feels like quite an irresponsible move on our part. We don’t want you to stop visiting us, but we don’t feel it’s right to encourage a mass event.*WE WILL NOT BE CLOSING UNTIL WE ARE TOLD TO DO SO*
“We are a small indie business and if/when the time comes that we are forced to close, it will hit us very hard. We plan on weathering the storm, but your continual patronage up until that time will help us make it through these difficult times.”

Meanwhile, chef patron Adebola Adeshina at Castor fine dining restaurant The Chubby Castor reassured its customers it was doing everything to keep them safe ..

It said: “ We would like to thank everyone for their continued support at this uncertain time regarding the Corona Virus outbreak.With COVID-19 becoming increasingly prevalent we wanted to assure you that we are continuing to provide the highest of standards whilst dining with us.We are closely monitoring the advice given from the UK Government and are encouraging guests to pay extra attention to basic hygiene.

“Please be rest assured that our restaurant remains safe and hygienic and please do get in touch if you have any questions.We look forward to seeing you at The Chubby Castor.

The reopening of The Draper’s Arms in Cowgate after a four-month, £1.4million refurbishment is still scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) and St Patrick’s Day events at O’Neill’s in Broadway and the Solstice in Northminsters are currently still to take place.