Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
More shops get ready to re-open under new rules
Retailers across Kent are preparing their stores to open with social distancing measure in place next month.
Boris Johnson has announced that car showrooms and outdoor markets will be able to open again on Monday, if it is safe for them to do so and all non-essential retail in England will be allowed to re-open from June 15. This includes shops selling clothes, shoes, books, electronics, specialist stores such as auction houses, photography studios and tailors, charity shops, gift shops at museums or heritage sites, betting shops, arcades, retail art galleries, mobile phone stores and craft fairs. However, all of these openings are dependent on the government’s five tests being met and only if the retailers are deemed Covid-19 secure.
For businesses, risk assessments will need to be carried out and passed with companies with more than 50 employees expected to publish the results. New hygiene procedures will need to be developed and multiple entry points to the store will be needed if possible.
Any companies who are failing to protect customers and staff could face fines or a prison sentence of up to two years. Town centre management teams and owners of shopping centres have already started outlining how they will support the stores.
Manager of One Maidstone, Isla Butler, said: “Trading will resume in stages whilst observing correct procedures and maintaining social distancing - we are carefully monitoring and sharing official guidelines with town centre businesses and is liaising closely with partner organisations to share relevant messages and implement necessary systems.” Stickers directing people around Bluewater Shopping Centre signalled the start to social distancing measures but any further plans have not yet been revealed.
A similar scheme will be operate at Lakeside, along with other measures to protect shoppers. The centre in Thurrock will limit the number of people and cars allowed in, close some parking bays, create queuing zones, install one way systems and floor stickers. Staff will be given PPE and trained in how to ensure visitors stay socially distanced. Escalators, toilets and keypads will go through ‘enhanced hygiene regimes’ which were introduced at the start of lockdown to protect those using the essential stores. At Hempstead Valley in Medway, the Sainsbury’s queue will be via the underground car park entrance only. Medway has been awarded almost £250,000 to install barriers
‘Trading will resume in stages whilst observing correct procedures’
and other items in town centres to bolster the return of businesses and keep shoppers safe. Along with temporary barriers being fitted, Medway Council is also looking to spend the cash on new signs and street markings so shopping areas in the town centres are ready for business. The authority has been allocated £246,396 from the government’s Reopening High Streets Safely Fund. Along with new signs, markings and barriers, the council says it will be “exploring a range of practical safety measures”.