‘It’s like Covid II’: Canterbury’s student hangouts left empty by meningitis scare

Many have left for the Easter holiday early after in-person university assessments were cut and exams moved online At The Cricketers pub in the centre of Canterbury, staff had been geared up for lively St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The pub’s “Paddy shots” were on offer: two for £7. Irish music played in the background. But, on Tuesday lunchtime, there were few revellers. “Normally, as soon as the doors open on St Patrick’s Day, we’re full,” said the manager, Ash Bolonghe, casting his arm around the near-empty pub, with only a handful of customers. “But not today.” His bar staff, with masks and sanitiser to hand, had that morning gone to nearby Westgate Hall, one of three venues in the city set up to administer emergency precautionary antibiotics in the midst of the meningitis outbreak, with 11,000 doses said to be available in the city across the sites, including a further clinic in Broadstairs. Further along the high street, it was a similar story. Another bar and live music venue was completely empty, its staff busily cleaning door handles and table tops. It had also expected to be busy, primarily with students or nearby office workers who regularly pop in f