MORE people are venturing back to Northwich town centre following a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.

Non-essential shops were given the go ahead to reopen by the Government from June 15, which has attracted more shoppers and visitors.

After more than a week since businesses reopening, Northwich BID says that footfall is around 70 per cent of what it was before the lockdown came into force in March.

And it hopes that this figure will continue to grow in the coming weeks as people become accustomed to the ‘new normal’.

BID Manager Jane Hough said: “We are really pleased with how businesses have adapted their premises to support the social distancing measures that are in place.

“It’s clear to see how hard they have all worked to make the necessary changes.

“Visitors and shoppers have been kind and considerate too by respecting the guidelines when they’ve been moving around the town centre.

“At the moment, footfall is around 70 per cent of where it was at before lockdown, which is pleasing.

“We’re hopeful this will continue to grow in the coming weeks.

“Going forward, we will continue to put the safety of Northwich’s businesses, shoppers and visitors at the forefront of our plans.

“We will be working with our town centre partners to ensure the town and its businesses have the best possible environment in which to bounce back from the impact of Covid-19.”

One High Street shop which has been busy since reopening is Curtain Magic, owned by Northwich Independent Business Association founder Gaynor Sinar.

“There’s a fair amount of people walking past and more than I’ve seen for a long time,” she said.

“It feels more busy than normal because I’m on my own, when we would usually have four people.”

Other members of staff will be returning to work in mid-July, and until then, Gaynor has adjusted the shops opening hours to make it more suitable for customers, with some days being for appointment only to avoid long queues forming.

Another independent Northwich business that reopened on June 15 was Witton Street’s Rosebank Sports, and it too has had a steady flow of shoppers.

Jaynie Turner told the Guardian: “Overall it’s been really good so far and we’ve managed to keep people social distancing really well.

“We don’t really rely on passing trade as a specialist sports shop which has helped us to manage the amount of people in the shop.

“People coming to us from all over the county and we’ve had a regular flow of customers.

“Footfall has increased in these first two weeks and people are sticking to social distancing.

“The longer we are open, the more people will get used to things and feel relaxed.”