Businesses get set to reopen but must have ‘Covid secure’ measures in place – Plus shop list

Many businesses are preparing to reopen Photo Carl Hudson

Businesses across Thanet are reopening – or getting ready to reopen -as Covid restrictions are relaxed further.

Today Business secretary Alok Sharma confirmed the reopening of non-essential retail businesses will be able to go ahead next Monday (June 15).

This follows the green light for car showrooms and outdoor markets to reopen on June 1.

Businesses have been hit hard with many ordered to shut their doors on March 20, before the curbs on all public life from March 23. Pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants, leisure centres, gyms and theatres were told to shut in a public address by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

By March 23 non-essential shops were also closed. Some businesses were able to offer a takeaway and/or delivery service but for many this proved nonviable.

The closures and general public life restrictions meant businesses lost out on the valuable trade, particularly over the hot Easter holidays.

Photo Carl Hudson

Government grants and schemes were launched to try and help cushion the blow, such as the furlough scheme for employees, self employed grants and small business grants.

Thanet council administered small business and retails, hospitality leisure business grants. Government funding was £40,108,000. Of this TDC has paid out £30,240,000 to 2,748 businesses with an estimate that another 367 that are eligible are yet to apply.

Applications for discretionary grants, for a variety of businesses that have not qualified f0or the other business grants, are open until June 15.

Many businesses are getting ready to reopen their doors, although there are measures that need to be put in place to make venues ‘Covid secure.’

Any business that is open must complete a COVID-19 specific risk assessment and take the steps to manage the risks.

Measures for compliance include:

Photo Carl Hudson
  • Defining the number of customers that can reasonably follow 2m social distancing within the store and any outdoor selling areas. Take into account total floorspace as well as likely pinch points and busy areas.
  • Limiting the number of customers in the store, overall and in any particular congestion areas, for example doorways between outside and inside spaces.
  • Encouraging customers to use hand sanitiser or handwashing facilities as they enter the premises to reduce the risk of transmission by touching products while browsing.
  • Encouraging customers to avoid handling products whilst browsing, if at all possible.
  • Suspending or reducing customer services that cannot be undertaken without contravening social distancing guidelines. This may include re-thinking how assistance is provided, for example, using fixed pairs of colleagues to lift heavy objects rather than a single colleague lifting with a customer.
  • Encouraging customers to shop alone where possible, unless they need specific assistance.
  • Reminding customers who are accompanied by children that they are responsible for supervising them at all times and should follow social distancing guidelines.
  • Looking at how people walk through the shop and how you could adjust this to reduce congestion and contact between customers, for example, queue management or one-way flow, where possible.
  • Ensuring any changes to entries, exit and queue management take into account reasonable adjustments for those who need them, including disabled shoppers.
  • Working within your local area to provide additional parking or facilities such as bike racks, where possible, to help customers avoid using public transport.
  • Using outside premises for queuing where available and safe, for example some car parks.
  • Managing outside queues to ensure they do not cause a risk to individuals or other businesses, for example by introducing queuing systems, using barriers and having staff direct customers.
  • Working with your local authority or landlord to take into account the impact of your processes, including queues, on public spaces such as high streets and public car parks.
  • Shopping centres should take responsibility for regulating the number of customers in the centre and the queuing process in communal areas on behalf of their retail.
  • Having clearly designated positions from which colleagues can provide advice or assistance to customers whilst maintaining social distance.
  • Working with neighbouring businesses and local authorities to consider how to spread the number of people arriving throughout the day for example by staggering opening hours; this will help reduce demand on public transport at key times and avoid overcrowding.
  • Continuing to keep customer restaurants and cafes closed until further notice, apart from when offering hot or cold food to be consumed off the premises.

As part of the guidance, businesses have to display a covid secure poster in their shop window or outside their door to show their customers they have read and taken steps to follow the guidance.

If a shop reopens without putting in place responsible steps to reduce the transmission of the virus, a range of actions, including issuing enforcement notices, can be taken.

Businesses that are able to open from Monday include hardware/homeware stores,fashion shops, charity shops. betting shops and arcades, tailors, dress fitters and fashion designers, car dealerships, 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, indoor and outdoor markets and craft fairs.

Some of the remaining businesses and premises that have been required to close, including hairdressers and beauty salons, restaurants, pubs and accommodation, and leisure facilities, like cinemas, still cannot open their doors until July 4 at the earliest.

Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to re-open safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.

Alok Sharma – UK Parliament official portraits 

Speaking today Mr Sharma said: “In the new normal, we have all got used to shopping with social distancing.

“Now is the right time to apply these principles more widely, to more shops, as we continue our cautious re-opening of the economy.

“To support this, on 25 May, my department published updated COVID-secure Safer Working guidance for people who work in or run shops or branches in the retail sector.

“This has given retail businesses enough time to make sure their premises are COVID-secure, and this will allow workers to return safely back to stores, and welcome back shoppers on Monday.

“As soon as we can, we will publish further safer working guidance for restaurants, pubs and bars, as well as hairdressers, barbers, nail bars and related services.

“I know there has been a lot of speculation about when we might be able to reopen these parts of the economy and I completely understand why we are all so keen to get them back up and running – I absolutely share your enthusiasm.

“But we continue to follow the roadmap, which sets out our ambition to reopen these sectors from 4 July at the earliest.”

The roadmap is dependent on factors include the R rate – the rate of transmission of the virus from a carrier to others. This needs to remain below one. In the South East it is currently at 0.97.

Government data reports 40,883 deaths in the UK where a COVID-19 test was positive. In Thanet there are 662 positive cases. Sadly 131 people have died in Thanet up to May 29 (deaths registered up to June 6),  with 78 losses in hospital, 44 in care homes, 5 in the hospice and 4 at a person’s home.

Photo Carl Hudson

Among those businesses reopening in Thanet are:

Star of the Sea, Broadstairs: Now open every day except Monday from noon until 9pm. The delivery service has also resumed and contactless payments are available at the shop and on the phone. Deliveries are from 4.30pm till 9pm in the CT10 area only.

Petticoat Lane Emporium, Ramsgate; Reopening June 15.

Little Brown Fairy Cake, Westgate: Open for takeaway between 10am and 2pm.

Coco Latino, Ramsgate: Open now, Friday to Monday 10am-5pm, takeaway only.

Saltworks, Ramsgate: reopening from June 15 , from 10am until 5.30pm. Hygiene products available for customers and  reduced number of people in the boutique

McGillan & Woodell, Ramsgate: reopening June 15, initially from 10am to 3pm. Entry two customers at a time

Royal Harbour Brasserie, Ramsgate: Takeaway

Friday 5pm-7pm paella £10
Saturday 12-3pm 5pm-7pm seafood
Sunday 12-4pm roast £10

Call 07789962668
Taking payment over the phone, contactless or cash on pick-up

Little Ships, Ramsgate: Takeaway/delivery. Al Fresco feast £20 per person with a minimum order of two people. Twenty-four hours’ notice on orders is required.

Three course menu costs £29.95 per person.

Delivery is £2.50 to CT11 and £4.50 for the rest of Thanet. Availability is Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 8.30pm, and Sunday, 12.30pm to 5pm. Minimum order for delivery £40. Call 01843 585008 to order. Click here for the facebook page

Bay Tree, Broadstairs: Delivering daily – including comfort food such as soup, Kent Fish Pie, Lasagne, Crumble and Trifle and afternoon teas. Call 01843 862502 or click here to find The Bay Tree on facebook

Albarino, Broadstairs: Tapas To Go menu, Spanish store cupboard and Deli products.
Available to purchase online for collection between 5pm to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday and 1pm to 4pm on Sundays. Click here to place your order

Westwood Cross – Shops such as Boots and Wilko remained open during the crisis but on Monday (June 15) they will be joined by those who had to shut their doors in March.

Individual store opening hours may vary and customers are advised to check the Westwood Cross website before visiting.

Opening June 15

  • Body Shop
  • Debenhams
  • Primark
  • JD Sport
  • River Island
  • Next
  • Foot Asylum
  • Yours
  • Clintons
  • TK Maxx/ Homesense
  • O2

Essential stores currently open

  • M&S
  • Boots
  • Superdrug
  • Wilko
  • Holland & Barratt
  • HSBC
  • Vision Express and EE are open for pre-booked appointments

Madam Popoff vintage, Margate: Opens June 16 and is also taking bookings for private shopping appointments. Call 01843 446072.

Farleys Furniture, Ramsgate and Palm Bay: Reopening June 15.

Terry’s Gifts, 23 High Street Margate: Reopening June 15.

Thanet Domestics. Margate: Reopens 9am on June 15.

Vape and Juice – Margate: Reopening on June 15, 9am, with covid secure measures in place.

Sweet Yesterdays, Broadstairs: reopening June 15, serving customers from the doorway and taking all precautions to keep Covid safe for both customers and staff. Still offering a delivery service.

Bessie’s Tea Parlour, Broadstairs: Delivering afternoon teas / savoury teas / children’s teas / cream teas / cake boxes. Find them here

New Kent Art Gallery & Studio, Broadstairs: Reopening June 15, 11am-3pm and online now.

The Coffee Shack June 26 for takeaway only for the rest of the season. No hot food but cakes, crisps, biscuits on offer. 

Boys & Maughan, Margate: Reopening June 15, hygiene measures in place.

Mala Kaffe,  Margate: Now open

The Eclectic Art Gallery in Margate Old Town: Re-opening on June 19, with covid-safe measures in place, also a new exhibition by Ann Palmer, and a new artist, Naomi Watkins joining the team. Open 11am to 4pm, Friday’s, Saturday’s, Sunday’s for the time being.

Westgate Galleria: Reopening on June 15, with covid-safe measures in place, also a new exhibition by Lorraine Kinnear. Open 10am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday, for the time being. Specialises in showcasing Thanet’s artists, makers and creatives in a big bright and airy space on Westgate’s high street. Still  some wall and shelf spaces to rent, message for the rates and to arrange a visit with your portfolio.

Three Graces, Broadstairs (on The Broadway): Re-opening on Monday, June 15, specialising in artisan and ethical gifts and cards. Covid-safe measures will be in place.

Homebasics, Ramsgate: Reopens June 15. New hours of 9am-4pm.  One way system and social distancing measures in place.

KIT Lifestyle, Broadstairs: Reopening June 15

~ two people in the shop at one time.
~ hand gel provided on entry and leaving.
~ one way system.
~ card payments are preferred.
~ trying on clothes won’t be encouraged, however anything that is will be steamed and quarantined for 48hours. Returns policy has changed to a refund within 7 days. These items will also be quarantined and steamed.
~continually wiping down surfaces and handles in between customers.

Happy for you to wear masks while you shop but kindly request that gloves are removed on entering and hand gel applied. Please wait to put your gloves back on after leaving to avoid any contamination within the store.

Small family groups are allowed in at our discretion and any children kept close at all times abiding by the 2m rule, well behaved fur babies also welcome as always.

Shop opening hours will be :

Monday 10-3pm
Tuesday 10-4pm
Wednesday 10-3pm
Thursday 10-4pm
Friday 10-5pm
Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday 12-4pm

True Recruitment, Margate: True Recruitment and Training, have an experienced team available to provide comprehensive support with developing a return to work plan, adapting working arrangements, communicating with employees and provide training following COVID 19. Tel: 01843 220636.

Business Images, Margate: Bespoke signs, floor HSE anti slip decals. 01843 862226 or [email protected]

Status Salon Service, Margate Road, Ramsgate: Open and has a large stock of PPE  http://www.statussalonservices.co.uk/ShowCategory.php…

Send your business opening details and we will add you to the list