OPEN DOOR
Full list of shops opening from June 15 as government confirms clothing and toy stores can reopen
CLOTHES, toy and betting shops in England will be allowed to open their doors once again from June 15, the government has confirmed.
Business secretary Alok Sharma has given all non-essential shops the go-ahead to welcome customers again in today's coronavirus briefing - but only if they're COVID-19 secure.
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Mr Sharma said: "I can confirm today that retail outlets, which have been required to close will be able to open their doors against from Monday June 15, so long as they comply with the Covid-19 secure guidelines we published on May 25.
"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."
Shops must carry out a health and safety check before reopening to make sure they are abiding by guidelines set out by the government to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Sharma added that pubs, hairdressers and restaurants are still on track to reopen from July 4.
There's no update yet on when shops in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will reopen with devolved governments setting these rules.
Almost all of the high street was ordered to temporarily close on March 23, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown.
Retailers are, however, allowed to continue trading online throughout the shut down.
Some retailers have already been given the green-light to reopen though, such as outdoor markets, car showrooms and homeware stores.
COVID-19 Secure
BEFORE non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen they must ensure that:
- Individuals are able to keep their distance from people outside of their households,
- They're reducing the risk of transmission by limiting the number of people that individuals come into contact with,
- Changing shift patterns to reduce the number of people in the office at one time,
- Keeping workspaces ventilated
Mr Johnson then outlined plans to reopen shops from mid-June in a press briefing at the end of May - as long as five tests to ease lockdown had been met.
These include easing the pressure on the NHS, a sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from COVID-19 and the rate of infection decreasing to manageable levels.
Coronavirus testing and PPE supply must be able to keep up with demand, and the government must be confident that any adjustments to lockdown won't cause a second peak.
This evening, Mr Sharma confirmed that all five measures had been met.
What type of stores can reopen from June 15?
Here's a list of some the key retailers that will be allowed to reopen from June 15:
- Fashion shops
- Charity shops
- Betting shops and arcades
- Tailors, dress fitters and fashion designers
- Auction houses
- Antique stores
- Retail art galleries
- Photography studios
- Gift shops and retail spaces in theatres, museums, libraries, heritage sites and tourism sites
- Mobile phone stores
- Craft fairs
- Similar types of retail
See the box below for a list of the major retailers that have already confirmed they'll reopen from June 15.
Will shopping be the same as before lockdown?
The short answer is no. Shoppers and retailers will have to change their practises if stores are to stay open without the risk of spreading the virus.
Shops must fulfil a set of regulations before opening their doors to members of the public.
What retailers will be opening on June 15?
THESE are the retailers that have confirmed they will be reopening stores from mid-June:
- Argos
- Barnardo's
- Burton
- Currys PC World
- Debenhams
- EE/BT
- GAME
- Greggs
- H&M
- Harrods
- JD Sports
- John Lewis
- Kurt Geiger
- Ladbrokes/Coral
- Lush
- M&S
- Marie Curie
- Miss Selfridge
- Next
- O2
- Oliver Bonas
- Oxfam
- Primark
- Smyths Toys
- Sports Direct
- Topman
- Topshop
- Vodafone
- Zara
These measures include strict social distancing, which may mean fewer customers will be able to visit the shops in one go, as well as one-way systems throughout stores.
Hand sanitiser stations for staff and customers will need to be installed, and returned items will need to be quarantined for 72 hours.
Staggering times for click and collect orders will need to be adopted and retailers will also need to frequently clean objects and surfaces that are touched regularly.
These include surfaces such as self-checkouts, trolleys, coffee machines and betting terminals.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove said shoppers would need to "exercise restraint" by not trying on clothing and testing goods before buying them.
This means no fitting rooms while larger items, such as sofas and beds, should be covered in protective material.
Other rules could also see a rotation of stock that is frequently touched.
Coral let The Sun into one of its betting shops to see what branches will look like when it opens its doors next week - and it's erected sneeze screens.
Shops will face punishments if they're found to be flouting the rules.
When will hairdressers, pubs and gyms reopen?
Brits hoping for a professional fix for their lockdown haircut will have to wait a bit longer as the government today confirmed it doesn't expect these types of establishments will be able to open until July 4 at "the earliest".
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Hotels and other tourism hotspots, such as camping sites, are also expected to be discussed for a possible July reopening.
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