Was Eat Out to Help Out really such a bad idea?
From our UK edition
Eat Out to Help Out, the government scheme aimed at encouraging people to return to restaurants during the pandemic, launched five years ago this week. From the outset, it came in for plenty of criticism. It was costly, controversial and possibly premature, its critics say. Bereaved families claim people died because of the scheme. These criticisms might be valid, but they’ve also obscured something else: the fact that, for many – especially young people – this policy didn’t just bring food onto tables. It marked a return to normal life after weeks of lockdown. It was one of the few bright spots in 2020, a year defined by fear, isolation and loss We queued. We booked. We ordered that second starter.
