The Business Secretary confirmed this evening that clothes and charity shops, as well as bike stores, can begin to re-open from next Monday
Non-essential retail shops will start to be permitted to re-open back up from next Monday as the UK government tries to get Britain’s businesses, and therefore the British economy, up and running after months of being effectively shut down.
The British public will be able to start shopping again, as well as being able to donate their clothes to charity shops following months of people sorting out their wardrobes in lockdown.
This comes after it was announced that charity shops are concerned about the deluge in donations as people clear out their wardrobes during lockdown.
Alok Sharma said this evening: “Now thanks to the efforts of the British people we have succeeded in reducing the number of infections and getting the R rate (rate of transmission of the virus) under control. “
“That is why we can carefully begin to open parts of economy in a phased and careful manner.”
“I can confirm today that retail outlets which have been required to close will be able to open their doors against from Monday the 15th of June, so long as they comply with the COVID secure guidelines”
“This is the latest step in the careful restarting of our economy and will enable high streets up and down the country to spring back to life.”
Business owners will need to complete a COVID-19 risk assessment in order to re-open their store, and they will also need to display a visible notice in their windows declaring that they have put the necessary steps in place to prevent any further spread of the virus.
Customers will have to abide by strict social distancing if they wish to shop in these non-essential stores like they already do in supermarkets, and many shops will be limiting the number of people allowed on the premises and will be forcing people to wait in supermarket-style queues.
The government has been coming under more pressure to relax the 2 metre social distancing rule so that shops will be able to sell more and recover quicker by allowing more people into their shops.
This comes after a recent survey suggests that more people are still sticking to the rules and staying home even after the relaxation of some lockdown rules.
The Business Secretary said this evening that the government are keeping the 2 metre social distancing rule but said that they are taking a “cautious view on this”.
Alok Sharma said: “I completely understand why for economical reasons businesses will want to have a look at this 2 metre rule, as I said with all of these matters, we keep this under review.”
“This is about what is safe and we will only make changes when it is safe to do so.”
The hospitality sector is that hoping pubs and restaurants will be permitted to begin re-opening in July, with hopes that outdoor beer gardens could open as soon as the 22nd of June.
The Business Secretary confirmed the Government was working to the planned schedule that was laid out by Boris Johnson last month, with the reopening date for the hospitality sector not planned to happen until July at the earliest.
