As non-essential retail starts to reopen from June 15th, Gosport High Street will begin to open its doors to customers throughout the month.
The Government announced in May in their ‘Our plan to rebuild’ guide that if the rate of reproduction (R) and new Covid-19 transmissions stayed at level 4 on the Covid Alert Level, then high streets can start to reopen in the second stage of lifting lockdown.
Since the rate of reproduction has remained below 1 across the country, with 1387 new cases confirmed on June 9th, measures will go ahead to get staff back to work and customers in shops.
Gosport Borough Council has been provided with over £75 000 from the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund to help businesses with practical measures to safely open their doors and protect their staff. This is in addition to the share of £3.2 billion they have received to help them deal with the pressures of Covid-19. The council is liaising with local retailers on the necessary precautions and safeguarding measures that need to be taken.
Outdoor markets have already opened on the High Street as usual on Tuesday and Saturdays as stallholders have put hygiene measures in place.
To contain the spread of Covid-19, local environmental health officers will monitor the reopening of the High Streets and the Government will continue to evaluate the national situation to ensure that public safety is being put first.
This will be the first time non-essential shops will allow physical customers since they closed nearly 11 weeks ago.
Local MP, Caroline Dinenage, commented:
“The reopening of the High Street is important to ensure that we can start getting people back to work and kickstart our local economy.
“However, public safety must always be put first which is why social distancing and safeguarding measures will be in place to protect residents and stop the transmission of the virus.
“I encourage all residents to shop responsibly and continue to monitor the situation closely.”
