Shops reopen for first time in three months as huge swathe of lockdown restrictions ease

People will be allowed to hit the shops for the first time in three months as England’s non-essential retail sector emerges from lockdown. Among a swathe of lockdown restrictions being eased today, department stores and high street shops are opening with spacious floor plans, limited numbers of customers and plenty of hand sanitiser stations. Businesses have had to ensure they are ‘Covid-secure’ according to Government guidelines, and many have been keen to stress the extra precautions they are taking, from deep cleaning stores to putting items that have been tried on or returned in quarantine. While masks are mandatory on public transport from today, they are not compulsory in shops and most retailers are emphasising a sensible approach, using floor markings and signs to remind people to keep two metres apart and regularly wash or sanitise their hands.