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22
Feb 2021
'Long slog to May': Harrogate businesses react to covid roadmap
Businesses in the Harrogate district have given a mixed reaction to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's route out of lockdown restrictions today.
Mr Johnson outlined a four-phase “roadmap” that he said would be “cautious but irreversible”.
Step one will see schools re-open and care homes allow visits on March 8 and outdoor sports resume on March 29; step two will see non-essential retail and pubs and restaurants reopen non April 12; step three will see two households permitted to meet indoors and hotels and cinemas reopen on May 17; stage four will see all remaining restrictions lifted on June 21.
Read more:
- Third lockdown threatens Knaresborough retail revival
- Harrogate theatre boss hopes for covid clarity on Monday
- ‘Road map’ to reopening raises hopes of district revival
Kimberly Wilson, chair of guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, welcomed bars and restaurants being in the same bracket as hotels.
She said:
She hoped government offers support to hospitality businesses over the next few months before reopening.
Ms Wilson said measures such as an extension to the cut in VAT and the furlough scheme would help hospitality businesses survive.
But Paul Rawlinson, owner of Baltzersens cafe in Harrogate, said:
David Steca, owner of barbershop Steca No 6, said he was “fed up” with the restrictions.
He added:
Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the district "can go into the spring sharing a strong sense of optimism but should continue our cautious approach".
He added:
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