Ruddington Post Office will continue to open – on weekday mornings – to help out residents and businesses still requiring its main services during the current COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that all high street shops selling non-essential goods must stop trading straight away, as part of the Government’s fight to contain the virus, initially the business had decided to close as well – “to help the lockdown” – with essential services being offered only by appointment.
However, postmaster Soham Patel tells us: “We have decided to slightly change our arrangement to accommodate all range of essential services from the posting of parcels and letters, and collections, banking services deposit and withdrawals and payment towards vital utilities. The service will operate 8:30 to 12:30 Monday to Friday, operated ‘one in one out’.” He adds: “We hope to help villagers as much as we can in these hard days ahead”.
Mr Patel is able to offer this facility because post offices are one of the small group of retailers who’re still permitted to stay open under the Government’s new restrictions, if they feel they can ensure proper ‘social distancing’ of at least two metres. This list also includes:
- Supermarkets and other food shops
- Pharmacies
- Petrol stations
- Newsagents
- Bicycle shops
- Home and hardware stores
- Laundrettes and dry cleaners
- Garages
- Banks
Of course, Ruddington no longer has any banks – other than banking via the post office – whilst Simon and Helen Beale at Perkins Hardware, our village’s last remaining DIY shop, today announced they will now be closed until further notice. Our pubs, cafés and restaurants were forced to close on Friday – though some of them were continuing to offer takeaways.
RUDDINGTON.info will bring you news on which of the other Ruddington retailers in this ‘essential’ category decide to continue trading, in the light of these new restrictions, once their final decisions have been made.
Boris Johnson’s announcement this evening (Monday 23rd March) came as the number of UK deaths from Coronavirus hit 335, while there were 6,650 confirmed cases.
There’s even more news about how the COVID-19 outbreak is totally changing life in Ruddington >>HERE<<.
