North East Lincolnshire town centre businesses and organisations are working together to create safe spaces for visitors and customers.
High street shops and shopping centres are set to re-open on Monday, (June 15) as part of the Government’s plan to ease lockdown measures.
Social distancing messaging is visible in public spaces throughout the borough in key places where there is high footfall, on advertising boards, lampposts and pavements, and will soon be installed in bus shelters.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, Cabinet member for highways, said: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been doing everything we can and working with partners to provide whatever support we can. We’re now moving to a new phase with lockdown measures easing slowly.
“We want to make sure that our high streets are safe for people to return to, and have been working with businesses in our towns to put that safe space into operation.”
In anticipation of the phased reopening of businesses, North East Lincolnshire Council has been working with businesses to develop a free suite of materials around social distancing measures and encouraging visitors, customers and workers to follow public health advice.
Businesses are able to download a digital tool kit that includes a raft of posters asking customers to behave responsibly when they return to the shops. Hard copy materials including floor stickers and social distancing posters are also being made available free of charge.
Additionally, a new “Loyal to Local” campaign, created by the council and E-Factor Group will be launched in the coming days to encourage people to spend their money with local businesses.
Cllr John Fenty, Cabinet member for investment and regeneration, said: “Customers will want to see business owners acting responsible in order to return to the high street and know that they are safe, but developing materials costs money, and it’s an additional expense that businesses don’t need at the moment. We’re starting to open up for business, and things will feel very different in the coming weeks, but we need people to support local shops and spend their money locally.”
The materials can be downloaded from www.nelincs.gov.uk/business-support.
Government have also advised that employers should display a notice visibly in their shop windows or outside their store to show their employees, customers and other visitors that they have followed the Covid-safe premises guidance. The downloadable sign can be found here: https://bit.ly/CV19Sign. Full details of workplace guidance can be found here: https://bit.ly/CV19WorkingSafely.
The following is a round up of things put in place at various key shopping areas.
Grimsby Top Town Market: reduced opening hours Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9am – 2pm.
The market, based in the Bull Ring in Grimsby Town Centre, will open back up to shoppers from Tuesday 16 June.
The market has remained partly open throughout the lockdown selling essential items such as meat, vegetables, and fruit, with strict measures in place to ensure the safety of traders and customers. This included social distancing measures and additional cleaning procedures.
Strict measures will remain in place to continue to make sure all shoppers and traders are safe. This will include:
- The introduction of a one-way system with entry only from the Devonshire House entrance and exit to Victoria Street only
- Introduction of floor markers to ensure shoppers remain two metres apart and queuing arrangements with each trader
- Additional cleaning procedures
From Monday 15 June, the food hall will also be reopened Monday to Saturday, 9am to 2pm. Access will be from Freshney Place on Monday and Wednesday and access from the Market Hall on other days.
Freeman Street Market, Grimsby, open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 9am – 4pm.
Our market, based on Freeman Street, Grimsby DN32 7DS will be almost fully open again from Tuesday 16 June.
The market has remained open throughout the lockdown selling essentials such as meat, vegetables and fish. We’ve also put measures in place to make your shopping experience safe for traders and customers alike.
Measures include:
- Introduction of floor markers and signage to ensure shoppers remain two metres apart.
- Additional cleaning procedures throughout the building.
- Home delivery for essential foods.
- Click and collect for our street food businesses.
- Contactless payments throughout.
Our Food Court will also open on 16 June 9am – 2pm Tuesday – Saturday.
Freshney Place
Initially not all services and facilities will be available including the car parks. In addition, not all stores at Freshney Place will reopen at the same time, so the centre will be setting up a dedicated page on its website to provide retailer information and their opening hours which will be regularly updated.
Freshney Place has implemented a number of customer initiatives to ensure social distancing and hygiene measures can be adhered to, these include:
- Heightening of cleaning measures with increased disinfecting of high volume touch points throughout the centre.
- Hand sanitising dispensers for visitors at the entrance to the centre as well as those offered in retail units.
- One entrance/exit via the Riverhead entrance. All other entrances will be closed.
- Numbers entering Freshney Place will be monitored with a queuing system in place at the Riverhead (entrance nearest to the Post Office).
- A one-way keep left circulation system will operate; this is clearly marked out with floor stickers along the outer edge of the malls.
- Each retailer will manage their own customer intake depending on size and layout with queuing systems down the middle of the mall areas.
- Toilets have been remodelled to enable social distancing.
- Freshney soft play area, CollectPlus and Customer Service Desk will remain closed for the time being.
- Both car parks will remain closed initially with the intention to open one in the next few weeks.
- Food and beverage will only be available to take away.
ENDS
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