THAT went well then, didn’t it?

Of course you can rely on the Great British Common Sense to keep us safe during a pandemic, especially now pubs are open.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the odd drink and I also fully realise the leisure and hospitality sector makes a massive contribution to the economy.

But as John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, said: “What was crystal clear is that drunk people can’t or won’t socially distance.”

And there’s the problem, Great British Common Sense, a potentially lethal virus and too much alcohol don’t make happy bedfellows.

I was out and about over the weekend and spent a lot of time listening to news on my car radio.

Of course, the reopening of pubs and bars was a major topic.

Thankfully most parts of the country seemed to be incident free after the pubs reopened, but many of the news reports drew a parallel with what has been happening in America’s southern states that have seen a massive surge in the number of cases.

That’s a result of a huge ramping-up in testing finding more cases, but the numbers of people catching the disease and needing treatment in hospital has spiked as well.

That has been put down to the relaxation of social distancing regulations and the reopening of bars and other hospitality venues while the disease was still prevalent.

During the first wave of the pandemic, the average age of people contracting the virus and needing hospital treatment was over 65.

Following the reopening of bars and restaurants, the current average age of those in Florida contracting the virus has dropped to below 35.

Party on dude and get Covid-19.

There’s a case to be made for allowing people to take those risks if they want to.

But the problem with that is a lot of young people who contract coronavirus have only mild symptoms or asymptomatic.

Yet they are still capable of spreading the disease.

The outcome for me is that I will continue to treat anyone I come into contact with as a potential carrier of the disease, and after the relaxation of lockdown rules that has become all the more likely.

As the chief medical doctor in Houston, Texas, said: “We are fighting two wars. First is the Covid virus. Second is stupidity.”

While we’re talking about the effects of the pandemic, I was interested to see that LiveWire, the company that runs leisure centres and libraries for Warrington Council, has reopened some of its libraries.

However, others are to remain closed at least for the time being with LiveWire’s website saying the plan is to keep Culcheth, Birchwood, Padgate, Penketh and Westbrook closed until later in the year.

At the moment, November is suggested as a possible reopening date, although that is subject to change.

Now I’ve been in some of the libraries that aren’t reopening at the moment and frankly I don’t see how it would be possible to put a one-way system in place and that in itself is a good enough reason not to open them if LiveWire is maintaining social distancing.

But I do have a suggestion to make.

It’s not that long ago that the council conducted a review of libraries and the library service in Warrington and funding was put in place to refurbish some of the town’s more dilapidated library buildings, including Culcheth, Padgate and Penketh.

Given the current plan is to keep those libraries closed until November, come on Warrington Borough Council.

Now’s the time to put that money to good use, release the cash that’s already been earmarked and get the work done.

There is one part of lockdown rules being relaxed that I am glad to see – hairdressers opening.

I am becoming increasingly follicly challenged, but what little remains is in need of a good tidy up despite the best efforts of my wife and newly-purchased hair clippers.

Perhaps it’s time for a number two all over.