Lockdown easing: Businesses gear up for 12 April reopening

For many business owners 12 April will be a momentous day.

Under the government's lockdown easing plans, non-essential shops can reopen, hair salons can take customers and pubs and restaurants with outdoor seating can serve meals again.

Four people from different industries talk about the prospect of taking a step back to normality, and the measures they've had to put in place.

Combers Inside-Out hairdressing has been serving the people of Taunton for almost 40 years, but it is unlikely to have witnessed anything like the past 12 months before.

Manager Simon Willetts says that although his staff have "mucked in" and coped with the challenges of lockdown, the most recent closure "felt like the final straw".

"In hairdressing, everyone is positive. When we are at work we make the best of it, but it's been disjointed and not as enjoyable as it should be," he said.

"One of the biggest things that I have to manage is the fear and anxiety among my staff, which is something I'm not sure gets talked about enough.

"The average age of the people who work with us is 25, so none of them have had the jab but they're having to listen to all the unsubstantiated rumours on social media, all the misinformation."

On reopening day all customers - unless exempt - will have to wear a mask while staff will be kitted out with grade two masks, visors or goggles and plastic aprons.

Every other chair will be empty and intensive cleaning will add 10 minutes to each appointment time.

Staff will also be tested twice a week, and because of fears of vaccination side effects, anyone who books a colour treatment will need to take an allergy alert test (AAT).

Despite all the restrictions, Mr Willetts says he feels fortunate to be reopening.

""I'm aware we are very lucky in that we have a business to go back to. Not everyone is in that position, particularly in retail," he said.

The salon is fully booked for the next six weeks and Mr Willetts says his regulars are delighted to be able to get the treat of a haircut.

"We've been bombarded with e-mails and we have to phone each customer up to do a pre-appointment consultation, and people just want to talk.

"There's a connection there that we all miss, staff and clients."

Jennifer Davies, from English Heritage, says staff at Stonehenge are "like kids on Christmas Eve" as they prepare to welcome visitors back.

"It means everything to me and the team," she said.

"We've been closed for a year which feels like such a long time and I've got a team of people whose life is about greeting people, welcoming them to Stonehenge and telling them about the stones so they can have a brilliant day, and they've not been able to do that."

The site has "severely limited" the number of people who can visit so all customers are asked to pre-book. New signage and one-way systems have also been introduced ahead of restrictions being eased.

"We have cleaned like we've never cleaned before and we will carry on cleaning," said Mrs Davies.

Under the latest easing of lockdown regulations, people can travel to a self-contained holiday property so Mrs Davies anticipates visitors may come to Wiltshire from other parts of the country.

"There is a lack of international tourism at the moment so if crowds aren't your thing, now really is the time to visit Stonehenge," she added.

Masterchef finalist and founder of Chinese restaurant chain Wokyko, which has sites in Newport and Bristol, Larkin Cen says he and his staff feel "a lot of pressure" ahead of welcoming diners back.

"It's all hands on deck at the moment," he said.

"If you think about a multi-site business like ours, we've got to effectively open two sites from scratch in one day and nobody in their right mind would do that in the restaurant trade in normal times - it just wouldn't happen.

"The past year has been very damaging to morale in the hospitality industry because it's been so stop-start. That's why so many people have been up in arms."

As well as getting stock in and menus sorted, Mr Cen said managing safety around Covid has meant training staff in using new technology, such as ordering apps, to reduce interactions with customers.

He said: "It's important we do everything we can to make sure people feel safe - customers and staff.

"But the bottom line is we're really excited to be re-opening. It's been really frustrating being closed, as well as financially damaging.

"We want to rebuild peoples' confidence but the impression I get is that a lot of people are keen to socialise.

"Many of the bookings we are taking are for groups of six, friends taking the chance to meet up again.

"I think there will be a lot of people who won't be comfortable with eating out yet, so we'll be keeping our takeaway business going."

Jeanette Crawford and Susie Thomas are co-owners of Taunton gift shop Rocket and Bird, which will reopen on Wednesday.

Mrs Thomas said the last year had been a "tough time, a juggling act" but that there had been positives.

"The business has developed and we've had to embrace some things - we didn't have an online shop before the pandemic for example," she said.

"We'd always been reluctant to have one because we wanted customers to come into the shop, and in turn come back to the high street, but on reflection it's one of the things that has saved our business."

Rocket and Bird is one of 50 independent businesses in their part of Taunton, and Mrs Thomas said she had watched other shops and hospitality venues adapt in "amazing" ways during lockdown.

"It feels like opening for the first time. There's excitement but also slight nerves," she said.

"It will be nice to get that routine of normality again and also see customers. We're a small business and it's the customers that make it really special.

"They've become friends, so to see them again will be lovely."

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