FOLLOWING the reopening of high streets and town centres across Worcestershire, new guidelines are now in place to help keep residents safe and stop the spread of Covid-19.

Businesses are encouraging all shoppers to do their bit and wear a face covering to help protect others. From today (July 24) shoppers will, by law, need to wear a face covering before going into a store.

This is a new measure, alongside keeping distance and regularly washing hands.

The Government says face coverings can help prevent the spread of droplets carrying Covid-19 and their use can help prevent spread the virus.

Gary Woodman, chief executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership said: “Businesses across Worcestershire have been working hard to implement changes to make sure their stores and shops are safe for the public.

Now is the time for individuals to start safely returning back to the world and it is crucial that to do this they follow the latest Government guidelines to keep themselves and others safe.

Doing this will allow us as a county to begin recovering and encouraging growth back into our local business community.”

Dr.Kathryn Cobain, director of public health for Worcestershire said; “ The people of Worcestershire and our Business community have all worked hard to stop Covid-19 from spreading. Worcestershire’s vibrant stores are safe places to shop, thanks to their efforts.

But we all need to help keep the shops safe, by now wearing a face mask in store and keeping our distance and washing our hands. All these measures help us keep us and our loved ones safe.”