Sefton Reopens

SEFTON

REOPENS

SUPPORTING A SAFE A N D S U S TA I N A B L E R E T U R N FOR OUR BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS

Sefton Council & Partners As we begin to welcome our customers and staff back to Sefton as COVID-19 is brought under control, Sefton Council & Partners are working to help create a safe, secure and sustainable reopening and recovery period.

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Government & Industry Guidance on Safely Reopening Businesses • Guidance from World Health Organisation, UK Government, regional & local bodies • Guidance from industry bodies

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Guidelines on Safe Reopening

Recommendations for our Businesses

• Social distancing • Seating, toilets & hygiene

• Trading protocols • Staff training & wellbeing

SEFTON

REOPENS S U P P O R T I N G A S A F E A N D S U S TA I N A B L E R E T U R N FO R O U R B U S I N E S S E S , RE S I DE NTS A N D V I S I TO R S

Government & Industry Guidance S U P P O R T I N G A S A F E A N D S U S TA I N A B L E R E T U R N FOR OUR BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS

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Government & Industry Guidance As businesses begin to reopen, hygiene measures and social distancing restrictions will continue to be necessary to limit transmission. The following links offer guidance on how to reopen your business safely. Sefton Council and partners have provided information and support since lockdown commenced and will continue to support businesses during the reopening phase.

World Health Organisation: Getting your workplace ready for Covid-19

InvestSefton Local business support

UK Government Guidance: Guidance for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19)

British Retail Consortium: Guidance on Social Distancing in Stores and Warehouses

Health and Safety Executive: Help and information to keep people safe and healthy at work Southport BID: Local business advice, guidance and resources The Growth Platform Regional Information & Support

MIND: Mental Health & Wellbeing support Local health & wellbeing Quality in Tourism: Expertise and advice for leisure, hospitality and retail

SEFTON

Guidance can change, please revisit these key websites regularly to ensure you are following the latest advice

REOPENS S U P P O R T I N G A S A F E A N D S U S TA I N A B L E R E T U R N FO R O U R B U S I N E S S E S , RE S I DE NTS A N D V I S I TO R S

Guidelines on Safe Reopening The following pages offer a summary of the guidelines on reopening your shop and trading safely. Full details and further information can be found here.

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Guidelines on Safe Reopening Social Distancing Shop Floor and Till Areas

• Use floor markings inside to facilitate compliance with the social distancing advice, particularly in the most crowded areas and where queueing is likely.

• Where till points are close together, consider closing every other till point. Assess whether this is also necessary for self-scan tills.

• Place clear signage throughout the store reminding customers of the social distancing measures and asking them to follow these rules.

• Leave non-essential doors open to minimise the number of people who touch them. This does not apply to fire doors.

• Review the layout of the store to ensure aisles/walkways are as clear as possible to accommodate social distancing, including the removal of promotional fixtures if necessary.

• Consider one-way systems using floor markings and signage to highlight system and direction.

• Erect physical barriers at till points using flexiplastic to provide a barrier for those working on the tills.

These should be included in store cleaning programmes.

• If necessary, use staff to manage the flow of customers to checkouts.

• Customer order collection points should be set up to ensure separation either by floor markings or by limiting the number of customers that can wait at a time.

• Remove promotions and features where customers are likely to congregate, such as product demonstrations.

• To limit congestion, consider restocking/replenishing only outside of store opening hours. If replenishment must be done in opening hours, assess how this can be done without compromising employee or customer safety.

• Encourage cashless purchases.

• Self-checkout touch screens/keypads – If these remain in operation a member of staff must be available to regularly wipe these areas. Ideally between each use.

Guidelines on Safe Reopening Social Distancing Changing Rooms, Customer Seating, Toilets & Baby Changing • Changing rooms should be closed wherever possible, given the challenges of operating them safely.

• Remove or limit customer seating in store.

If seating is provided, space out appropriately.

• If you provide in store products which require trialling prior to purchase e.g. TV’s, then these should be demonstrated, wherever possible, by staff, observing social distancing rules.

• Stop services which require direct physical interaction with customers such as make-up application, nail bars or personal shopping.

• Specialised make-up and skincare advice can be provided if following social distancing protocols.

• If stores choose not to assist customers with large purchases e.g. 60” TV to their car, it is advisable to highlight this prior to purchase. If stores are providing this service they should provide suitable protection and advice for this to be conducted safely.

• Consider whether it is safe to keep customer toilets open or if these should be available on request. If open, regular cleaning should include manual multi-person touch points such as door handles, flushes, taps. etc.

• Baby changing facilities should be available but consider frequency of cleaning.

Business Support S U P P O R T I N G A S A F E A N D S U S TA I N A B L E R E T U R N FOR OUR BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS

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Recommendations for Businesses Providing a safe environment for our customers and staff is our top priority. By noting the following recommendations, we can endeavour to demonstrate a consistent approach across the town.

Operation

Activity

Risk Assesments

You will need to review your workplace Risk Assessment (RA) so that you are Covid-19 secure. There are many organisations offering help and advice in this area, including Southport BID and you can find a template here. More information on risk assessments can be found on the HSE website here.

Trading Hours

We recommend opening after deliveries / restocking of shelves, where possible to reduce levels of staff / customer contact. We also recommend specific hours for returns and refunds as other towns & cities have experienced an increase in this during the first few weeks of reopening

Queueing Protocol

We recommend that queueing should be to be to the left of the business entrance.

If all businesses adopt this approach it will assist with social distancing requirements.

Social Distancing

Ensure that your store has sufficient social distancing measures in place (see section 2 of this guide for comprehensive details on how to manage this). Sefton Council will be installing social distancing information at key points to reassure residents and visitors.

Staff Training & Wellbeing

We recommend that your staff are trained and aware of any new rules, regulations and guidance that your business puts in place. These may include: • Personal hygiene guidance and assurance on what personal protection equipment (PPE) will be provided for staff • New rules around the cleaning of surfaces, products, and payment methods.

• Recommendations on the best ways to travel to and from work e.g. walking or cycling (if possible), use of car or staggered start and finish times to reduce numbers on public transport at peak times.

• Recommendations for staff wellbeing during working hours break times, such as promoting town centre parks, gardens and open spaces.

Contacts: Marketing Southport – steve.christian@sefton.gov.uk InvestSefton – investsefton@sefton.gov.uk Southport BID – sarah@southportbid.com