Town and villages across Tyrone start to reopen their doors

THE first real signs of the easing of the lockdown are being felt in town centres across Tyrone, as more retail outlets open their doors for the first time since March.

Under the latest guidance from Stormont, numerous shops in Omagh, Strabane, Dungannon and other towns and villages are allowed to reopen their doors.

A further relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions means that non-food retail outlets with ‘lower frequency customer visits’ and with larger store areas are permitted to open.

Standalone shops, which can accommodate social distancing measures, are expected to reopen in the next couple of days as the coronavirus lockdown continues to ease in the North.

Popular stores such as DV8 and SD Kells in Omagh are also expected to reopen in the coming days.

The shops will implement a range of new measures such as hand sanitiser at the entrance and exits, spacious layout and social distancing measures at queue points with some shops operating one way systems throughout the store to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

However Primark will not reopen this week and shoppers may have to wait until the end of June before they can shop at its Omagh store.

BUSINESSES NEED MORE GUIDANCE

Last week, the towns saw huge queues at McDonald’s as the popular food outlet reopened for a drive-thru only.

From 11am on Thursday, cars lined the way to the fast food restaurants in Omagh, Strabane and Dungannon and long delays were reported with some people spending over 45 minutes in the queue for food.

Omagh Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the announcement that shops can reopen, but believes businesses need more guidance.

A spokesman said, “The Chamber welcomed the announcement last week in regards to the easing of restrictions and in particular the re-opening of some retailers. “We were however awaiting further detail on who exactly could open and this still remains unclear.

“It was stated that non-food retailers with low frequency customers could open – but how do you gage low frequency?

“It really has put the onus on the individual businesses to take that decision for themselves.

“The Chamber will continue to lobby on behalf of businesses and have urged the NI Executive to give more reassurance, detail and guidance so that we can begin to reopen safely.”