Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
UPDATED: Boris Johnson has outlined the first tentative steps to reopen small business, including the phased reopening of shops and hospitality.
Shops will be able to reopen on June 1
Some hospitality services will be allowed to re-open from July 4
The government has published its document fleshing out prime minister Johnson’s nationwide address, which goes deeper into its strategy to help reopen small business.
Shops planning to reopen post June 1 could badge themselves “COVID-19 Secure” by following guidelines shortly to be published by government after consultation with business groups and others.
By July, the government would like to see remaining small businesses that have been forced to close, including hairdressers and beauty salons, pubs and hotels and cinemas also reopen.
But any phased re-opening of small businesses will be reversed if the rate of coronavirus infection creeps back upwards – as is already being seen in Germany and South Korea, which have loosened up their own lockdowns.
Reopen small business
Mr Johnson said: “We must also recognise that this campaign against the virus has come at colossal cost to our way of life. We can see it all around us in the shuttered shops and abandoned businesses and darkened