Here is what shops in Portsmouth’s high streets will look like after they reopen

Traders in Cosham High Street and Commercial Road in Portsmouth are getting ready for non-essential shops being allowed to reopen on Monday June 15.

In Commercial Road, tape marking safe social distancing whilst queuing has appeared outside River Island, and staff at footwear shop Schuh are preparing for a raft of measures to keep customers safe.

The measures include PPE for staff, a maximum of five customers in the store at once – and any returned shoes will be placed in a quarantine zone for 72 before going back on the shelves.

Nat Stockwell, acting manager of the shop, said: 'We have ordered barriers for inside the store and they should be arriving this week.

'We are being very careful.’

Virus shields have already appeared inside the EE store in the high street – but some traders remain concerned that outdoor queues will jeopardise social distancing.

Christine King, who runs the Dunkin Donuts stand, said: ‘People have been fine sticking to social distancing - but well see what happens when there are more queues.

‘If the Cascades (shopping centre) has a queue in the street, that will change things.’

The concerns were echoed by one customer, who had already seen social distancing become harder to maintain.

The 57-year-old Southsea resident said: ‘I'm in the vulnerable category, so I’m being extra careful – I just wish everyone else was. People are not following social distancing.’

In Cosham, only a handful of stores show signs they are preparing to reopen, with New To You Books in Cosham opening on June 29 according to a window display.

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Ladbrokes, which will open on June 15, has displayed social distancing warning signs, with touchscreen pens for betting machines inside.

Poppins Cafe, in Cosham, reopened its outdoor seating area on the pavement at the front of the cafe on Monday - but the business is 'barely getting by' with reduced trade.

Assistant manager Mevlut Yorulmaz said: 'People need to have a sense of normality again.

‘Business has not been very busy.’

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