Back to business for thousands more Britons
MORE companies reopened their doors yesterday including some car factories, high street stores and fast food restaurants.
Vauxhall’s managing director Stephen Norman said 800 of its 1,600 staff returned to its van plant in Luton.The company’s Ellesmere Port site, which makes cars, remains closed.
Ford said all but 100 of its 1,200 staff at its engine plant in Bridgend have returned to work. Its Dagenham plant has been open throughout the lockdown to build ventilators for the NHS.
Yesterday the firm said this work was continuing alongside normal engine production, with 1,100 staff now on duty.
It means all of Ford’s European factories are now back at work.
Graham Hoare, chairman of Ford of Britain said: “Throughout the pandemic, Ford people have shown the strength of character that truly makes them the backbone of Britain.” Safety measures have been implemented at factories including screens between staff and masks.
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Meanwhile BT-owned Openreach began phasing in a return to working inside people’s homes for its engineers.
On the high street, Poundland re-opened 36 of its stores as part of a phased return to business.
Marshals controlled the flow of customers into shops while alternate checkouts were closed to help with social distancing.
KFC announced that 500 sites – half of its restaurants – will be open by the end of the week for contactless delivery services.
McDonald’s, which opened 15 sites for deliveries last week, will reopen 30 drive-throughs tomorrow. Burger King opened 50 more branches for delivery and drive-through yesterday.
At London’s Canary Wharf, 39 of 300 retail outlets were open. All business tenants have been operating throughout lockdown by switching to home working.
The increased number of workers and customers venturing outside has led to more traffic and passengers. Images from the A102 in Greenwich and Canning Town Underground station showed huge queues forming yesterday.