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 For much of 2020, the pubs of London's West End and the hedonistic
nightclubs of Shoreditch have lain silent - devoid of the fun that
has, over the centuries, attracted drunken poets, louche musicians
and the lonely seeking a liaison.
As tougher restrictions loomed at the stroke of midnight, a few
hundred revellers brushed away the COVID-19 doom and gloom in Soho
by partying on the streets, mostly without masks.
One woman, dressed in white shorts on a December night, waved purple
feather fans while another flapped giant white wings bejeweled with
fairy lights. Around them, partygoers sang songs, drank and danced.
Police were booed when they told people to disperse. There were no
arrests seen by Reuters.
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 Some pubs and bars - one
displaying a sign "Save Soho to help save
livelihoods" - put on cut price drinks with
pints of beer going for as little as 2 pounds
($2.70) to shift stock before they closed. From
Wednesday they will only be allowed to serve
takeaways.
The coronavirus lockdown has left many bars and
restaurants across the world facing an
unprecedented cash crunch: large rents, often
high debt and zero income.
($1 = 0.7405 pounds)
(Reporting by Henry Nicholls; writing by Guy
Faulconbridge; editing by Paul Sandle)
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