Ipswich town centre is preparing for an influx of customers next week, with bright ‘Keep Left’ signs being installed to ensure shoppers follow the one-way system and minimise the spread of coronavirus.
Over the past few weeks, stores have been working with Ipswich Vision to make the town a safer place when shoppers finally return and to reassure people that it is safe to do so.
Bright orange ‘Keep Left’ signs have been plastered around the town centre – including on walls, lampposts, shop windows and pavements – making sure they cannot be missed.
MORE: Road closure and ‘Keep Left’ signs coming in as Ipswich eases lockdownThese are visible in the heart of Ipswich like Tavern Street, Westgate Street, Butter Market, the top of Princes Street and Lloyds Avenue, to ensure pedestrians can maintain a two-metre gap for social distancing.
The Ipswich Vision Partnership has been working with employers to encourage those who have returned after lockdown to stagger staff arrival and departure times, as well as lunch hours, in a bid to enhance social distancing at traditionally busy times.
From Monday, Upper Brook Street will be closed off to traffic from 10.30am to 4.30pm every day, with ‘Keep Left’ signs for pedestrians.
Most buses will be re-routed to Bond Street and disabled parking spaces will be relocated to the top of Lower Brook Street. Taxis will continue to be able to use their pick-up points on Tacket Street and Dog’s Head Street.
Meanwhile, individual stores, such as Debenhams, have been busy marking out their own two-metre gaps at the front of their shops, allowing customers to queue safely and to ensure they can control the numbers inside.
MORE: Which shops are open in Suffolk and Essex?Staff were seen measuring out the two-metre distance between spray-painted footprints last week. Signs were also placed in shop windows to remind people to “stay alert” and abide by the social distancing rules to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
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