However, new figures suggest a correlation between the scheme and the sudden rise in coronavirus transmission rates, with 3,000 more infections recorded in the past 24-hours. Can we blame Eat Out to Help Out for the rise in infections? However, as the new scheme came into force, restaurant bookings rocketed, with crowds gathering on the high street for the first time since March. It prompted a 216% surge in restaurant bookings on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when the scheme was active, according to OpenTable. Transmission rates were already creeping up in early August, before there could have been any effect from the Eat Out scheme.

Source: Daily Mirror September 11, 2020 10:10 UTC