12 April Reopening – Stay safe, shop local
On Monday 12h April 2021, all non-essential retailers will be able to reopen in England. Blue Bermondsey BID welcomes the news and invite everyone to shop local and support our business community. We would also like to remind to follow the current measures to ensure we protect ourselves and others.
If you are a business in The Blue, please scroll down to read more about some of the current regulations still in place.
As a visitor to The Blue, we’d appreciate if you could:
- Keep social distance when visiting shops
- Sanitise your hands prior to enter venues and during your visit to food outlets
- Wear a mask following government’s guidance
We are committed to supporting our retailers and the local business community in the best way we can to help keep staff and customers safe.
See the People’s Mural
Supporting the local businesses
- BID members and local shops can join the home delivery service for shops in the high street.
- We maintained a full promotional campaign through our social media channels highlighting shops and businesses in The Blue
- We continue to promote local businesses using our business directory online.
If you are a local business and you have any queries, please contact the BID and we will help in any way we can.
Send us an email to info@bluebermondsey.co.uk
Reopening safely, information for businesses
For all those businesses reopening from 12 April, the rules stay more or less the same as when they were open before.
- Staff and customers must wear masks or be behind screens (apart from when eating or drinking)
- Customers must keep to the 2m social distancing rules (apart from when having close personal services like haircuts and treatments)
- Businesses must limit the numbers inside their premises to ensure social distance is maintained.
- Shops are able to extend their opening times to 10pm
- 10pm curfew non longer applied to licensed premises
Outdoor Service
- If you are serving customers at outside tables in your business, there still must only be a maximum 6 to a table (or two households), and you must serve them at the table, and payment must made be made outside if at all possible.
- Outside space can be sheltered with tents, awnings or gazebos but 50 % of ‘walls’ must be open to allow ventilation.
- Your customers can pass through your premises in order to reach the outside space, but inside will need good ventilation (doors open to allow a through draft) and plenty of space to allow for social distancing (remove indoor chairs and tables or large display counters to allow this)
- Hand sanitisers must be readily available with reminders to wash hands everywhere, especially in toilets.
More information on the government regulations here.
Which venues in England should display the official NHS QR code poster?
Licensed venues and close contact services must still get customers to check in using the QR code for track and trace.
Download the guidance for businesses
See the People’s Mural
Free COVID-19 tests for employers and employees
Southwark Council are currently encouraging key workers and those who can’t work from home to get a lateral flow test. This includes school staff, supermarket staff, transport workers, security guards, cleaners, construction workers and many other roles including shops.
You can read more about the test and how to book one here
Positive test result
If an employee has a positive test result, they will need to register the result with the NHS to get a self isolation note, and employees can check this here.
Where are the testing sites?
There are two testing sites in Southwark, open seven days a week:
- Damilola Taylor Centre, 1 East Surrey Grove, Peckham, SE15 6DR
- London Bridge Station, St Thomas Street Exit, SE1 9QU