Fitting rooms in England will be allowed to reopen for the first time in a year from next week as the government pushes through step two of the lockdown roadmap.
Under the second stage, non-essential shops will reopen on April, 12, while pubs and restaurants will be allowed to welcome guests again outdoors.
Official guidance states as well as mandatory face masks, stores will likely only allow a certain amount of shoppers in at one time to maintain distancing, while others will operate a one-way system to manage over-crowding.
Changing rooms will also return to the delight of many, but staff will need to sanitise cubicles between each customer to reduce any potential spread of infection.
Under government guidance, there must also be adequate breaks between the use of rooms, and doors and curtains must be kept open when not in use. Most stores will also open fewer cubicles to allow for distancing.
The rules also state that any clothing that has been tried on should be steamed or put aside for several days to ensure germs are not passed on.
John Lewis, H&M and River Island are amongst those that have said fitting rooms will return, but others have warned it could take several months to make them Covid-secure.
Primark said changing rooms will not reopen next week. Marks & Spencer said the same but added that shoppers would be able to book appointments for bra fitting in stores where a member of staff will advise customers on how to measure themselves.
At 250 of its stores, M&S customers will be able to choose to have a contact-free bra fitting service. Bravissimo will do the same.
Services such as fitting rooms are viewed as key for stores as they attempt to fight back against competition from online rivals.
Pippa Wicks, the boss of the John Lewis department stores, said it would also be restarting children’s shoe fittings and personal shopping from April 12.
Any unpurchased items will have to be kept away from the shop floor for 72 hours to ensure they do not contain Covid-bacteria.
“Clothes that are tried on will be put to one side for 72 hours, or if needed before that for others to try, they'll be steam cleaned,” explained Olaf Hernandez, store manager at Essentiel Antwerp.
