TWYFORD is the hardest shopping centre for Wokingham Borough Council to make safe for social distancing.
Pavements are narrow and the village is centred around the crossroads.
Wokingham Borough Council says that it has been working closely with town and parish councils and business groups as it introduces a wealth of measures in Twyford, Woodley and Wokingham to ensure social distancing can be maintained.
Key changes taking place around these main shopping areas include:
- Clear signage across the towns to make sure people remember the importance of requirements such as the social distancing rule, sanitising hands and queuing safely
- Increased marketing and social media campaigns to keep shoppers and businesses up-to-date with useful information and latest updates
- Temporary changes to local roads and footways to help maximise space for pedestrians and manage movement safely
- Clearly marked areas for queuing outside shops
- Support packs for local retailers and businesses including a range of useful resources, such as posters, signs and floor stickers to help encourage safe distancing
Twyford is helped by not every store is opening again and there are cut-throughs and alleys so people can give way if necessary.
Waitrose has an extensive one-way queuing system in place, with trolleys acting as a barrier to ensure no one can jump in. This has been in place for some weeks, so in many ways it’s business as usual.
Some stores, such as the London Road Bathroom Company and HF Newburys, will be opening their doors from Monday, while the Costa coffee branch will reopen from Thursday, June 18.