Rye’s historic Lamb House was open for business this week, but social distancing – and the need to avoid infections – has meant, as it has in pubs, that this easing of lockdown is not a complete return to how things were before.
In Lamb House’s case, a one way system is only possible on the ground floor, and the rooms upstairs are not open to visitors. And, while the garden is open, the tearoom is not because it is too small to allow for social distancing.
But the door is open, and a friendly staff member was on hand to explain what you can and what you can not see – and the reasons why business is not yet fully back to normal.
And the Standard in the Mint nearby was also open, but it was also not quite as normal. Drinkers and eaters had to check in at the bar in order to give their name and contact number before being allocated to a table, and there was a limit on the number who could sit at one table.
Food and drinks had to be ordered from your table, and you could not order at the bar – or stand or sit there. So, while visitors were coming in to eat and drink, few of the familiar local faces were immediately obvious. So, while life is beginning to return to normal, the new “normal” still has a lot of restrictions and controls.
Image Credits: S. Lanigan .