As you may have seen, the Prime Minister last night announced that non-essential retail can re-open from next month. The timeline is as follows:
- Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be able to reopen from 1 June, as soon as they are able to meet the COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect shoppers and workers.
- All other non-essential retail including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and electronics, photography studios, and indoor markets, will be expected to be able to reopen from 15 June if the Government’s five tests are met and they follow the COVID-19 secure guidelines
The government has updated their guidance for shops and branches to assist with making your business ‘COVID-19 secure’, and it can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/shops-and-branches
This includes shops placing a poster in windows to demonstrate awareness of the guidance and commitment to safety measures, storing returned items for 72 hours before putting them back out on the shop floor, placing protective coverings on large items touched by the public such as furniture, and frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly including self-checkouts, trolleys, baskets, coffee machines and betting terminals.
Guidance for other types of workplace can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
There are also a series of free webinars online over the next few days about working safely during Coronavirus. You can register here for the webinar most appropriate to your business, which includes shops and branches; offices and contact centres: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy-18685150848
Thanks to your feedback, I have ordered A3 posters for BID businesses which reinforce social distancing and safety messages and provide you with space to indicate your maximum capacity for your premises. They will be delivered early next week. If you haven’t already told me you would like one (or more) please let me know so I can get some to you. The BID is also able to offer barriers (with social distancing messaging displayed) to businesses to assist with customer queues (on a first come first served basis). Again if you haven’t let me know you would like barrier(s) please contact me to confirm.
It’s been confirmed that hairdressers, nail bars and beauty salons, and the hospitality sector, remain closed, because the risk of transmission in these environments is higher where long periods of person to person contact is required.
If there’s anything I can help with to get your business ready for re-opening, please contact me.
