Advice for businesses - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Business closures - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The government asked the following businesses and other venues across the United Kingdom to close from 21 March:
- Food and drink venues for consumption on-site, such as restaurants and cafes - this doesn't include takeaway and delivery services
- Drinking establishments, including pubs, bars and nightclubs – this doesn't include takeaway and delivery services
- Entertainment venues, including cinemas, theatres, concert halls and bingo halls
- Museums and galleries
- Spas, wellness centres and massage parlours
- Casinos and betting shops
- All indoor leisure and sports facilities, including gyms
What businesses can stay open
Online retail is still open and encouraged, with postal and delivery services running as normal.
Click and collect is allowed with people allowed to leave their homes for collections.
Retailers allowed to stay open include:
- Supermarkets and other food shops
- Market stalls which offer grocery and food
- Pharmacies
- Petrol stations
- Corner shops & newsagents
- Bicycle shops
- Hardware stores
- Laundrettes and dry cleaners
- Garages
- Veterinary Surgeries and Pet shops
- Post Offices
- Banks & building societies
- Garden centres
- Outdoor sports courts, including golf courses
Restaurants and cafes are allowed to offer a food delivery and takeaway service.
For retailers allowing members of the public into its premises:
- Ensure a distance of two meters between customers and shop assistants.
- Let people enter the shop only in small groups, to ensure that spaces are not crowded.
- Put queue control arrangements outside of shops and other essential premises that remain open.