Whilst it is not clear when the non-food retail sector will re-open for business and the final decision on this will be made by the Government following public health and scientific advice, we need to prepare for the likelihood that some virus control restrictions will continue to be necessary as and when businesses are permitted to re-open.
To that end please find attached guidance from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which outlines recommendations businesses may wish to consider to facilitate implementation of social distancing in retail stores.
They are based on the experience of food retailers who have been operating social distancing effectively in stores for a number of weeks. These are non-exhaustive and it is the responsibility of each business to decide the most appropriate methods to implement social distancing and other coronavirus control measures in their business.
The guidance includes managing social distancing inside and outside stores, as well as managing the workplace for the safety of your employees.
Please also find attached some guidance to help with practical HR and legal considerations for the process of getting people back into the workplace, prepared by Bryn Doyle, Partner, Employment Law, Squire Patton Boggs for the BRC.
You can find more information on the BRC Coronavirus Hub here: https://brc.org.uk/coronavirus/
