Opinion: Raise a glass – responsibly – to lockdown relaxation

While the stores were back, many of the other places that draw people in – bars, restaurants, museums and galleries – remained shuttered amid the Covid pandemic. Retail continued to suffer as a result.

The lack of opportunity to enjoy a drink, a bite to eat or a bit of sustenance for the mind and spirit showed just how important wider experiential and leisure appeal is to the consumer business ecosystem.

That was a contributor, no doubt, to the fact that while footfall was unsurprisingly up week on week, as shops emerged from their enforced hibernation, it was still steeply down year on year.

The lack of opportunity to enjoy a drink, a bite to eat or a bit of sustenance for the mind and spirit showed just how important wider experiential and leisure appeal is to the consumer business ecosystem

So the relaxation of social distancing from two metres to one, enabling the reopening of eateries, pubs, cinemas and other venues from July 4, is very good news.

Andy Street, the former John Lewis department stores boss and mayor of the West Midlands, put it well, minutes after Boris Johnson confirmed the changes.

Street tweeted: “I welcome today’s announcements by the PM as they are crucial for our economic future, people’s jobs and livelihoods. They’ll enable a greater return to normal life, which has been made possible by the immense sacrifices by everyone following the guidelines.”

He also struck a note of caution, essential before anybody gets carried away with the idea that business and life as usual are back. “I must stress the importance of continuing to follow the guidelines so we are truly able to defeat this virus,” Street warned.

That caveat cannot be overemphasised because if there is another lockdown on any sort of scale as the UK opens up, the consequences for consumer confidence, willingness to shop and retail recovery could be catastrophic.

Many people will still be scared to head out to crowded places, even when they are allowed to do so at the start of next month, so ensuring customer safety must be paramount as hospitality businesses start setting the tables and polishing the glasses once again.

Only today, lockdown has been reimposed in one German region, home to 360,000 people, following a new outbreak of coronavirus.

Germany is widely seen as having been one of the more successful countries in combating the spread of the infection, so it is a stark reminder that the problem has by no means disappeared.

The UK, by contrast, is perceived by many – including large numbers of its own people – as having botched crucial aspects of its response. A second lockdown here, even on a local level, could be shattering.

The retail industry has set a fantastic precedent by showing that businesses can adapt to restrictions forced upon them

Consumer businesses, big and small, will of course take every measure they can to ensure customer safety. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “We are the heart of responsible socialising – it is what we do, so let’s work with this to give our consumers confidence.”

The retail industry, led by food groups and other ‘essential’ retailers that have traded throughout the emergency, has set a fantastic precedent by showing that businesses can adapt to restrictions forced upon them. There have been very few incidents of shops becoming viral centres.

Other consumer businesses can do the same. In fact they must, otherwise retail centres are destined for an even more prolonged downturn.

Reopening may have been dependent upon government say-so, but its success will rely upon executional excellence and responsible behaviour by businesses and citizens alike.