STAFF at a Bradford shopping centre are getting ready to fully re-open to customers again next Monday.

Kirkgate Centre has remained open during the crisis to provide access to essential retailers and has already implemented safety measures which include a heightened cleaning regime, free to use hand sanitiser and social distancing procedures across the centre.

Now, with the roadmap out of lockdown, the centre and its retailer teams are preparing for non-essential stores to reopen next Monday.

Stores such as Primark, Yours and F Hinds along with our many independent retailers will be open for shoppers once again to provide the real-life shopping experience that has been hugely missed by many.

For customer safety, the centre’s current measures which include compulsory face masks unless exempt, hand sanitising stations, and directional signage will remain in place to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for visitors and employees.

The centre is also continuing to encourage visitors to be mindful of maintaining good personal hygiene while visiting. These include always catch your cough or sneeze in a tissue, dispose of your tissue as soon as possible and clean your hands as soon as you can.

The team are also urging customers who may be displaying symptoms of the virus to refrain from visiting the centre.

The plan has been fully communicated to Kirkgate retailers who are being provided with support to help them reopen safely and in line with Government guidelines.

In the coming months, Kirkgate are also looking forward to the return of an exciting array of community campaigns and family activities when safe to do so.

Catherine Riley, Kirkgate Centre manager, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming our visitors and non-essential retailers back to the centre next week.

“Our centre and retailer teams have been working extremely hard under huge pressure this past year, and we want to extend a huge thank you to the key workers both within the centre and across Bradford who have done an excellent job in looking after our community.

“We have seen the community come together like never before, and although our centre teams are working hard to keep everyone safe, it is crucial that we continue to work together and follow the current guidelines so that we can all look forward to getting back to some normality.”