Government mulls store reopening plan, sees deluge of Bounce Back Loan requests

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 5, 2020

The UK government is due to review its lockdown on May 7 with widespread expectations that there will be some easing of the rules as Covid-19 death rates continue to fall. 

And while it's still unclear exactly how non-essential stores will be allowed to reopen, the government is currently considering a number of options that include limiting customer numbers inside shops and ‘no-contact’ returns.

Other ideas in documents being considered by the authorities include store staff communicating via radio rather than face-to-face and click & collect times being staggered, a Buzzfeed News report said.

The new rules may also require stores to share details on a shop-by-shop basis of how many customers can safely be allowed inside at any one time. New ‘social distancing champions’ could ensure that the guidelines are working and could also process cashless refunds. 

For shopping centres, there will be strict guidelines in order to minimise social contact. The rules around shopping centres are likely to mean limiting customer numbers. And the casual dining offer that has been so important in attracting consumers into such retail locations in recent years could take a back seat for now. In-store cafés and others could be forced to remain closed for some time.

In many ways, the measures being considered appear to echo those already announced by the Irish government that include a phased reopening of non-essential shops with shopping centres last on the list and not opening until August.

The news around government plans for shops’ reopening came at the same time as it emerged that more than 45,000 applications were made in a single day for the new loans that will help small businesses through the pandemic.

The Bounce Back Loan scheme went live on Monday morning and applications to banks flooded in with hundreds in the first minute alone.

The scheme allows small businesses to borrow anything from £2,000 to £50,000 with the government guaranteeing the entire loan and covering any fees in the first year. The loans also require no repayments during that first 12-month period. And once they've been approved, the money should arrive within 24 hours.