Taking temperatures on the door and installing air purifiers are among the ways South Holland businesses are gearing up to reopen next month.
It’s all systems go for hairdressers, restaurants, pubs, hotels and many other businesses, after the government announced that lockdown restrictions will be further eased from July 4.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the two metre social distancing advice would be relaxed to one metre where needed when appropriate measures had been implemented to stop the spread of the virus.
That means pubs and restaurants can open both outdoors and also indoors with measures implemented.
Two separate households can also now meet indoors, which also allows hotels and bed and breakfasts to open.
The Prime Minister also said that playgrounds, museums, galleries, theme parks, outdoor gyms and arcades, libraries, social clubs and community centres can reopen.
But there was disappointment as indoor gyms, nightclubs, soft play areas, bowling alleys and swimming pools must remain closed.
Speaking on Tuesday Mr Johnson said: “Today we can say our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end.”
The Lincolnshire Poacher is reopening on July 4 under the new name of Woody’s at the Lincolnshire Poacher.
Landlord Konner Woods said that as soon as lockdown came, they began working on measures to open as soon as possible.
“We’re ready to go as we started to make changes straight after lock down.
“We’ve improved the garden, put stickers down on where to go and brought in anti bacterial gel.
“We’ve brought in more staff as it will be table service.”
The pub won’t be opening to food and will re-focus on being more of a sports bar, though Konner says that would have happened anyway.
One Spalding hair salon owner has invested in Radic8 air purifiers to ensure the safety of his customers.
Paul Shorrock, who owns Hedonism, has had the purifiers, which kill 99.9 per cent of respiratory viruses and will sterilise the room in just five minutes, installed ready for reopening on July 4.
He said: “We’re doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our clients.
“Along with the purifiers, we will be taking clients’ temperatures at the door and will be unable to see anyone whose temperature is above 37.5C.
“All stylists will be wearing masks and we will ask clients to do the same. They can wear their own or we will supply one for them.
“Each stylist will have all their own equipment which they will be cleaning thoroughly, along with their workstations, after every client leaves. We estimate it will take about an extra 20 minutes per client, which means we will all be able to see about one and a half clients less each day.
“We’re in the process of contacting all our clients to book them appointments and we’re trying to do it in the fairest way possible, starting with our vulnerable and elderly clients.”
Gan Seta, owner of the Woodlands Hotel in Spalding, said they will be reopening offering bed and breakfast from July 6 but will have to see how it goes before reopening the restaurant to non-residents.
He said: “We will need to see what demand is like before we reopen fully.
“With social distancing guidelines in place we will only be able to fit about 15 to 20 people in the restaurant, so we need to be sure it’s worthwhile.”
Baytree Garden Centre at Weston will be opening the restaurant on July 4 but are still working on plans as to how everything will work.
Manager Cameron Whitworth said: “Our restaurant is self service and Boris Johnson has said he wants table service – which has mystified us to be honest – so we have to look at how that’s going to work but we will be reopening on July 4.
“We won’t be reopening the coffee shop at this stage though, only the restaurant.
“We are taking the situation very seriously, as anyone who’s visited will know, and we want to make sure we get everything right.
“It’s not just about the dining space, we have to make sure that the kitchen staff can work safely too.”
Dave Gammon, owner of Gammon’s barbers in Long Sutton, will be implementing a one in, one out appointment-only system in his shop.
He said: “I will be opening on July 4 and have already taken quite a lot of bookings by email or through my Facebook page.
“It will be one client in the shop at a time, unless it’s a child and parent or an elderly person who needs a carer.
“I will be asking all clients to wear a mask and I will be in full PPE and there will be hand sanitiser available.
“I’m the only barber which makes it easier to socially distance.”
