BRADFORD is preparing for further loosening of lockdown rules next week - when non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen.

Signage advising people to keep a safe distance from others has been installed in the city centre, and more work to allow better social distancing will take place this week.

Similar work is being done at 37 sites across the District - with a focus on high streets and other areas where it will be more difficult to keep socially distant once shops and other businesses open.

Many businesses will likely only be able to allow a few people in their buildings at a time, meaning queues are expected to spill out onto the streets.

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Work taking place in the city centre this week will include closing lanes of Hall Ings to traffic to allow pedestrians and cyclists to avoid coming into close contact with each other and people waiting at bus stops.

Other measures that will be implemented across the district include the creation of “social distanced seating areas,” pedestrian lane markings and the removal of street furniture.

And throughout the district pedestrian traffic lights are being re-programmed to automatically change to green at regular intervals - preventing people from having to press the button and possibly spread infections.

Almost £250,000 has so far been allocated to implementing social distancing measures

Bradford Council has also asked local businesses to check and act on the latest government Covid-19 guidance before reopening.

Government advice is that non-essential retail businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday, but only if it is safe to do so and when they have been made “Covid-secure.”

Currently the Yorkshire and Humber/North East Covid-19 re-infection number (R number) remains high, and this had led to Bradford Council and the local NHS continuing to ask people to stay home where they can.

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Businesses that have remained open may also need to make further changes as the economy gradually re-opens.

The Council has encouraged businesses that plan on re-opening to

- complete a Covid-19 risk assessment.

- check the water system, as it may have become stagnant while buildings were unoccupied, leading to the risk of Legionnaires Disease

- read the NHS test and trace: workplace guidance to understand what businesses must do if a member of staff develops one or more symptoms of Coronavirus

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “It’s vitally important everyone helps keep economic recovery as safe and sustainable as possible.

“This means carefully following the official advice around distancing and hygiene.

“If we do this properly then it could help to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 infections.”

This morning the Council’s decision making Executive will meet to discuss how Bradford can prepare for the “living with Covid” stage, and what can be done to help the economy recover afterwards.

Members will hear that at the peak of the crisis, over 350 calls were being made a day to the Bradford Covid helpline.

A report to the Executive highlights the scale of the past few months by saying: “The measures introduced by the lockdown are unprecedented in peace time.”

It says the Gross Value Added of the retail and wholesale sector in Bradford is expected to fall by £565m due to the pandemic and lockdown.

Supporting businesses to re-build after lockdown is one of the main priorities of the Council in the coming months, the report says.