Thorpe Park, pubs and hairdressers among Surrey businesses reopening as lockdown measures eased - recap
Many businesses opened their doors again for the first time since March
William BradleySenior reporter
A busy weekend was expected as pubs, hairdressers and attractions like Thorpe Park reopened in Surrey as the county prepares to get back to normal amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Many public facilities opened their doors again on Saturday (July 4) for the first time since March and the Epsom Derby will be held behind closed doors for the first time.
A number of salons in England opened their doors at midnight to cater for the influx of customers. Hairdressers will be using masks, aprons and face shields to do their jobs.
Meanwhile pubs were allowed to reopen at 6am to welcome visitors.
Extra resources will be in place for what is expected to be a busy weekend for Surrey Police.
Good luck to all the businesses reopening today in Surrey, if you are opening your doors again please email details to surreylive@reachplc.com.
Easing of restrictions 'well respected' 14:06
'We are fully booked for the whole of this month' 16:21
Statement from Surrey Police 11:31
Time each Guildford pub reopens 10:02
Easing of restrictions 'well respected'
Surrey Police has thanked the public, those working in the hospitality industry, and all emergency services responders and staff after Saturday (July 4) passed off without significant incident.
Detective chief inspector, Amy Buffoni, said:
Having reviewed our systems I can confirm that last night's easing of restrictions was well respected across Surrey.
I want to thank everyone who has worked hard in ensuring that businesses could start to reopen to the public while keeping business owners, employees and the wider public safe during this continuing pandemic.
No doubt many stayed at home last night balancing the risk that they are willing to personally accept – but we should remember that we all have a part to play in reducing the risk of local lockdowns.
I encourage us all to maintain the government guidance on social distancing and the use of face coverings."
Surrey Police issue warning
If anyone is trying to 'flirt in a facemask' they've been warned:
First of many
The Star in Leatherhead was thrilled to open its doors today...
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'We are fully booked for the whole of this month'
Amy, manager of Toni & Guy in Guildford High Street, said:
We are fully booked for the whole of this month! We had to come in and set up stands to give clients skin tests before their appointments, as they are more susceptible to allergies if they have not had their hair coloured for a long time.
We have partition screens up between each chair, and are staying open four hours later each evening to meet the demand and doing 13 hour days. All of us are wearing PPE but clients are wearing the same too.
We ordered 1400 kits for them but will see 450 clients in the next four days, which is around 250 more than we normally would in that same period. We normally use 22 chairs but are down to 16."
Toni & Guy in Guildford have put partitions in between each chair and give disposable PPE kit to all staff and customers (Image: Jamie Jubert/SurreyLive)
'We are not sure if it will be financially feasible'
SurreyLive's Jamie Jubert has been out and about in Guildford this afternoon following the easing of restrictions.
Paige Brazier, manager at The Cannon pub in Portsmouth Road, said:
We have had to reduce the capacity by 60% to follow guidelines, and it is all seats on bums with table service so no one can place orders at the bar.
We have a bouncer on the door to make sure people entering have a table pre-booked. All the condiments are in sachets so they are not reusable. We are not sure if it will be financially feasible, it is just trial and error at the moment. We limit each group to 3 hours so it's fair, and our darts board cannot be played.
We don't have partitions or wear face masks as we don't legally have to, but we are keeping distance and have sanitizer stations all-round the venue."
The Cannon pub has had to reduce capacity in order to open its doors to the public for the first time since March (Image: Jamie Jubert/SurreyLive)
Chessington World of Adventures Resort reopens
Chessington World of Adventures Resort has reopened its Theme Park and Resort Hotels today, following the reopening of the zoo on June 18.
To allow for social distancing, the resort is asking all guests to pre-book a ticket online to guarantee entry, so as it can manage the number of visitors.
The theme park and hotel is open for the first time since closing in March (Image: Chessington World of Adventures )
'Ready if you are'
'We continue to urge caution'
Cllr Caroline Reeves, leader of Guildford Borough Council (GBC), said:
We are delighted to be welcoming our residents back to visit pubs and restaurants in Guildford. We have been working hard with our town centre partners Experience Guildford, Pub Watch and venues to make sure they are fully prepared to reopen.
Supporting our residents and businesses is a key part of our work as a Council and it is wonderful that we are able to take small steps towards our borough's recovery.
However, we continue to urge caution and remember it is early days. Please remember the experience will be different in order to follow the guidance, for example you may need to book a space in a pub not just a table in a restaurant - so please check with the venue before you travel in.
There are likely to be queues so do please be patient and think of others while queuing, many people live near pubs and restaurants and they could be key workers trying to rest after work. Our NHS and emergency services have worked very hard to keep us safe and have been under an enormous amount of pressure."
Statement from Surrey Police
Officers have been working with licensees to prepare while there will be extra patrols to ensure the public are safe.
The advice continues to be for the public to take personal responsibility to help stop the spread of the virus.
Gavin Stephens, Surrey Police chief constable, said:
I'd like to thank the public in Surrey for their continued support during the pandemic to save lives. Whilst the Government has announced that lockdown restrictions will be eased on Saturday July 4, it's important for people to continue to take responsibility for looking after each other by following the government guidelines.
In the last two weeks in Surrey I'm pleased to say that we haven't had to issue any fixed penalty notices relating to the guidelines and people have engaged with us when we have addressed any issues of concern."
Epsom derby day
The Epsom Derby will be taking place on Saturday, July 4 – but not as fans have come to know it.
Horse racing fans were disappointed to hear in April that the Investec Derby, originally planned to take place on Friday, June 5 (Ladies Day) and Saturday, June 6 (Derby Day), was cancelled due to health fears over coronavirus.
Read the full details here.
Time each Guildford pub reopens
Guildford publicans are preparing to reopen their doors for the first time in months.
Click here for a list of local pubs and the time and date they plan to open. If you are planning to visit a pub this weekend it is advisable to book ahead.
Surrey Police will be deploying extra officers over the weekend to ensure people are celebrating safely.
The Robin Hood in Guildford will reopen at 12pm on Saturday (July 4) (Image: Darren Pepe)
Thorpe Park reopening
Chertsey theme park Thorpe Park will reopen today although all tickets have sold out for today.
There are additional hygiene and safety measures in place, the experience might be very different from previous trips and strict limits on the number of people allowed in each day to allow for social distancing.
A busy weekend is expected as pubs, hairdressers and attractions like Thorpe Park reopen in Surrey as the county prepares to get back to normal amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Many public facilities will open their doors again on Saturday (July 4) for the first time since March and the Epsom Derby will be held behind closed doors for the first time.