Covid and the effects on Derbyshire: Winter plan to be announced
Businesses like Chatsworth house are hoping to still be set for a busy Christmas
Businesses in Derbyshire are hoping to continue running as normal into the winter months and avoid being put under lockdown restrictions.
Boris Johnson has already said he wants to avoid putting the UK into more lockdowns and will making further announcements today about the Covid plan for the winter.
Hospitality has been hit badly over the last 18 months, and businesses are starting to recover after the summer. Many restaurants and other venues have taken a phased approach to re-opening and have encouraged customers to wear face masks and keep a safe distance inside.
Working in the new normal
Lots of businesses have also adapted their services to be able to deliver to customers who wish to order from home, or even extended outdoor seating area for members of the public who feel safer outside.
But although the Prime Minister has said he is not expecting to impose another lockdown or restrict businesses' way of working, some people are sceptical of the winter plan following the impact coronavirus had on measurements in 2020.
Marketing manager Jonathan Fish at Chatsworth house said:
"We'd been hoping and looking forward to a very busy Christmas in 2020. We'd sold pretty much all the tickets for the house during November and December, and then we got the sad news at the back end of October that we weren't going to be able to open them at all." He added:
"If there was another lockdown announced it would be incredibly disheartening. Obviously the pandemic has been really hard for us, and fortunately over summer we've managed to overcome some of the losses from last year, but the Christmas period will be very important."
Boris Johnson is also expected to announce what will be happening with booster jabs against coronavirus for the coming months, as well as more on the abolishment of vaccine passport plans that were set to be put in place.