South Shields prepares to #SupportLocal as town's shops get ready to reopen next week

Shoppers are getting ready to show their support for South Tyneside’s businesses as many make the final arrangements to reopen for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown was introduced.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that non-essential retailers would be permitted to open to customers again from Monday, June 15 – next week – if certain measures were adhered to and infection rates continued to decline.

This included bookies, charity shops, fashion retailers, gift shops and retail spaces in theatres, libraries, heritage sites and tourism sites.

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Shops will only be able to reopen from Monday if they have completed a Covid-19 risk assessment and can implement social distancing measures.

A number of retailers are expected to reopen on Monday, June 15.A number of retailers are expected to reopen on Monday, June 15.
A number of retailers are expected to reopen on Monday, June 15.
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These are all the shops which the Government says can reopen from June 15

It will be a landmark day for many businesses, which were ordered to shut the doors in March as the Government introduced lockdown measures to slow the spread of the virus.

Some have voiced concerns about shops reopening too soon and how they will continue to shop for essentials only, while others have heralded the return of some South Tyneside businesses, and pledged to shop locally.

Readers also shared the shops they can’t wait to visit.

You've been sharing your views on shopping locally as lockdown eases.You've been sharing your views on shopping locally as lockdown eases.
You've been sharing your views on shopping locally as lockdown eases.

Here’s what you said on Facebook:

Linda Mather: “You're probably safer in a small business owner’s shop than you are a supermarket etc, at the end of the day the smaller businesses can put the same social distancing measures in place that larger businesses can.”

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Alison Brown: “Smithson Jewellers on Fowler Street. Local family business for over 50 years and I need my Nomination fix.”

Kelly Farndale Copeland: “Life must go on at some point. I will go to shops, I’ll be careful as I have been, but it will be so good to have just a little normality.”

Gillian Ayre: “Have you thought when you do want to venture out, there won't be any shops etc to go to as they will all go bust. If you can go to a supermarket, other shops are no different in fact safer as there will be probably less people there. I went to Matalan today and the system they had in place was great.”

Sylvia Davis: “Boyes and BST Fabrics.”

Sandy Dalton: “Westoe Travel by far!”

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