Covid-19: New guidance issued for click and collect services

New guidance has been issued to help retailers run a click and collect service in a controlled way during NI's two-week circuit breaker.

Tougher new Covid-19 restrictions came into force across NI on Friday.

Non-essential retailers have been told to close except for click-and-collect services.

On Friday morning, a framework setting out how these services can be provided safely was published by the Department for the Economy.

The department said click and collect facilities will operate "on an appointment-only basis with maximum mitigations in place".

Economy Minister Diane Dodds said the guidance will "help business owners and customers ensure they are operating safely and within Northern Ireland legislation".

The framework includes guidance such as:

• Retailers and customers are encouraged to use on-line ordering and delivery as the first choice for customers

• Those retailers who do not have an online facility should consider the potential of phoned-in or text ordering

• Collections are by appointment only and should be scheduled to ensure no customer-customer contact and no queuing

• Retailers are encouraged to allocate time slots to allow them to manage a reasonable number of people per hour

• If collection is from a store in a shopping centre, the collection point should be close to the entrance with a one-way system

• Customers are not permitted to enter stores - the collection should be from the entrance door

• Collections should be by a designated customer to collect only - there should be no household groups

• Customers and retailers should encourage where possible pre-payment methods and contactless proof of purchase on collection

In other restrictions, cafes and restaurants can only provide a take-away service and close-contact services such as hairdressers and beauty salons have to close.

The restrictions came into force at 00:01 GMT on Friday and will be in place until 00:01 on 11 December.

It means Northern Ireland will revert to similar measures introduced in March, with the exception of schools remaining open.

Garden centres, supermarkets and homeware stores are exempt from closing under the new regulations.

Mrs Dodds has also confirmed that the closing date for applications to Part A and Part B of the Covid Restrictions Business Support Scheme has been extended to 16 December.

She said payments to eligible businesses will be extended to cover the latest restrictions agreed by the executive.

It is hoped the measures, announced by the Stormont Executive, will help control the spread of coronavirus and bring the reproduction (R) number down ahead of the Christmas period.

On Thursday, First Minister Arlene Foster said R number in Northern Ireland was "just below 1", but the two-week circuit breaker was "crucial... so that we can all have the safest and the happiest Christmas possible".

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was important to reduce the transmission rate to "as low as possible" and "do everything possible to limit the number of people you come into contact with".

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The run-up to the festive period is traditionally the busiest time of the year for the businesses affected by the latest lockdown and the decision has been criticised by retailers and the groups which represent them.

Lisa and Peter Mahaffey own a gift shop in Bangor, County Down.

They extended their opening hours this week to cope with the big rise in customers attempting to beat both the lockdown and the Christmas rush.

But they say the new rules over what constitutes essential retail are confusing as a large proportion of the items sold in the shop are homeware.

Gift shop owner Peter Mahaffey says there needs to be more clarity on what constitutes essential retail

"All the big retailers like Sainsbury's and Tesco don't close, but they sell the same stuff that we sell. We don't know where we really stand," said Mr Mahaffey.

He thinks the other main issue is the timing of the move by Stormont.

"They would have been much better closing us at the beginning of November and letting us re-open now with the run-in to Christmas," he said.

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"This is our busiest time of the year. The main time is just being taken away from us."

'Plan B'

The doors may be closed to customers, but Christmas stock deliveries are still arriving at shops.

Jenny Doherty, from a book shop shop in Londonderry, is not sure if online sales will be enough to clear that stock and pay the suppliers.

She is not sure yet what the financial hit will be and she said not having customers coming in at this time of year is "frightening".

She added: "Books aren't perishable. There will be a plan B, but I do worry."

Florist Penny Hamilton is trialling a click-and-collect service

Florist Penny Hamilton is also trialling a click-and-collect service at her east Belfast shop, but is worried it will not suit some of her older customers.

"They are used to coming in and being able to smell all the flowers and see all the colours," she said.

"Unfortunately, there is a generation that maybe don't understand, or even have, mobile phones, so it's difficult for them."