Tens of thousands return to England’s high streets as non-essential shops reopen

Tens of thousands of people have poured onto England’s high streets as non-essential shops were allowed to reopen for the first time since lockdown began. While many of those who stepped out despite coronavirus fears to engage in some long-awaited retail therapy cited concerns about looming job losses in the sector and a need to restart the economy, the overwhelming sense was of people urgently seeking to regain a sense of normality after 11 weeks in stasis. Despite the busy street scenes captured across the country, with reports of overnight queues which sometimes remained throughout the day, the unseen majority will have remained at home, with some newly returned employees questioning why customers were physically shopping rather than purchasing online.