Garden centres will be able to reopen to the public from
today (Wednesday 13 May).
All garden centres reopening should put in place social
distancing, cleaning and protective measures for both staff
and customers. In particular, they should ensure that
people can stay 2m apart wherever possible, as is already
the case in supermarkets and other shops which have
remained open in recent weeks. Further detailed guidance
for businesses has been published by BEIS.
Biosecurity Minister Lord Gardiner said:
We know that this time of year is crucial for the
horticulture industry and are very aware of the impacts
of coronavirus on the sector.
Our decision to reopen garden centres and nurseries in a
safe way, will allow businesses to sell their products
directly to the public and in doing so bringing about
wider benefits to consumers, especially for physical and
mental wellbeing, which gardening can bring.
It is vital all garden centres implement strict social
distancing and I urge businesses to use the Government’s
extensive guidance and the Horticultural Trades
Association’s Safe Trading Guidance when planning their
reopening.
To help Garden Centres put in place appropriate measures,
the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has also
produced Safe Trading
Guidance, closely aligned to the Government’s guidance
and specifically for garden centres, which includes a
series of recommendations to protect customers.
The guidance document has been based on insight from
leading HTA retailers, the British Retail Consortium, and
from government advice as a recommendation of best practice
regarding social distancing. Recommendations include advice
on customer numbers in stores, entrance and exit protocols,
and queueing and checkout procedures. It also contains
practical advice on how to protect the health and wellbeing
of staff.
