Covid: Pubs welcome indoor customers. 2,000 have shut forever

Today, upwards of 40,000 pubs across the country are throwing open their doors to punters once more as the latest lockdown rules are relaxed.

Not all pubs have made it through – at least 2,000 across the country have closed permanently over the last year.

Brits are expected to flock to pubs indoor pints of beer, but the surge in demand will be little consolation to businesses that were rocked last year by the United Kingdom's worst recession in three centuries.

The Forum for British Pubs estimates at least 2000 pubs have shut permanently over the past year.

Many other retailers have also closed their doors for good despite government programs aimed at helping businesses during the pandemic.

UK stores have missed out on roughly £30 billion in lost sales during the country's three lockdowns, according to the British Retail Consortium, which estimates 67,000 retail jobs were lost between December 2019 and 2020.