Welcome Back!

w/c 12th April 2021

Many of our Southend businesses reopened their doors this week and were enthusiastic to welcome customers back once more.

First thing on Monday morning there were already queues at a wide range of the shops around the town as people sought to make up for lost time and get their retail fix. Later in the day cafes and eateries were brimming with people adorned in coats as they enjoyed a tea or a bite to eat in the venues outdoor spaces. Exercise lovers eagerly head back to the gyms to get their training back on course and there wasn’t a hairdressers or barbers in sight that was not fully booked.

It was truly fantastic to see a vibrant town once more, and everyone you could see had such a positive spirit – finally a bit of freedom!

Keen to be open, and stay open, businesses were prepared and following the hands, space, face rules and sector guidelines. Queue managers were at venue doors to keep track of capacity numbers and provide prompts where necessary around distancing, both staff and customers alike used their face coverings, hand sanitiser was offered to those that entered, and posters were in prominent places to remind everyone of their safety procedures.

If you are heading to your local businesses this weekend then please be kind to staff and fellow customers in these difficult times; service may be slower as businesses follow safety measures which are in place to keep everyone safe, control the spread of the virus and make sure that business stays open.

This weekend I’m going to be supporting local businesses by having a drink in a pub garden, a lunch in a restaurant’s front terrace and popping to the shops. Whatever you get up to this weekend please continue to Visit Southend Safely.