Small business reopening

Set clear guidelines on the number of customers allowed within a premises at any time based on the floor space of the business .(For example 2 metres x 2 metres would be the space required for for 1 customer to allow for social distancing). The small businesses can therefore manage this by encouraging customers/clients to visit by appointment, possibly extend their opening hours etc, to get their business up and running again . Allocated shopping times for vulnerable groups should continue. Move away from rush hour commuting and have more flexible working patterns so that socially congested situations are passively avoided. Relaxing trading hour rules to allow businesses to adapt to their customer needs.

Everyone needs to live with social distancing as the new normal for the months ahead. A wide network of small businesses will help achieve this and managing the amount of contact with strangers by allocating appointments will help public confidence and compliance.