With many non-essential retail reopening or thinking about reopening plus hospitality, accommodation and some leisure businesses being encouraged to reopen from 4th July, North Tyneside Business Forum together with North Tyneside Council are working in partnership to encourage and support businesses in the borough to get back to work in a safe way through the ‘Restarting Business in North Tyneside’ campaign.

With many non-essential retail reopening or thinking about reopening plus hospitality, accomodation and some leisure businesses being encouraged to reopen from 4th July, North Tyneside Business Forum together with North Tyneside Council are working in partnership to encourage and support businesses in the borough to get back to work in a safe way through the ‘Restarting Business in North Tyneside’ campaign.

We want to support businesses to start thinking about returning to work and preparing the workplace to be Covid-19 secure, when they are permitted to do so; and to provide Forum members with peer-to-peer advice.

We are doing this by showing businesses which are thinking about reopening how other businesses, which have already reopened or have remained open throughout the pandemic, have continued to operate, adapted and the measures they have introduced.

We’ll be sharing blogs, videos and tips on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn) as well as through emails to members. Plus with blogs from our members, all of them are highlighted on this page.

Businesses which are NOT permitted to re-open are nightclubs, soft-play areas, indoor gyms, swimming pools, water parks, bowling alleys, nail bars and spas plus some more which can be found here

Businesses which are permitted to re-open now (from 15 June) are listed here and those permitted to re-open for 4 July are listed here

FREE poster packs

Businesses which are restarting are all required to have conducted a Covid19 Secure Risk Assessment and are recommended to display a poster showing they have completed the risk assessment.

Businesses across North Tyneside are able to access printed packs of the Government poster and a special poster designed by us with the support of North Tyneside Council. 

Initially 600 packs will be available free of charge to any North Tyneside-based business planning to reopen. Collection or delivery will be from two town centre-based printing companies – YPD Creative in North Shields, and Request a Guest in Whitley Bay.

Whether you’re in Wallsend, Forest Hall, Longbenton, Killingworth, anywhere across North Tyneside, businesses can order from either of the shops, and they’ll pop them in the post or you can collect.

Orders can be made via the following forms. You will be contacted within 2 days of submitting the form by the relevant printing company.

If your business is not in one of the town centres, please select the town which is closest to you.

Test & Trace

There is a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19 in premises where customers and visitors spend a longer time in one place and potentially come into close contact with other people outside of their household. To manage this risk, businesses including hospitality, tourism, leisure and other close contact services such as hairdressers and barbershops are expected to collect and maintain records of staff, customers and visitors. 

Please encourage customers and visitors to share their details in order to support NHS Test and Trace and advise them that this information will only be used where necessary to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Detailed guidance on collecting and maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors is available here  

Support not report

We’re asking members of the public to also support businesses as they adapt to the new challenges of reopening. So, if you visit a business, whether that’s a shop, office, factory, and see a mistake around social distancing, or PPE, for example, don’t take photos and ‘shame’ them on social media. Instead speak to staff or the owner and let them know your concerns. Support them. Don’t report them.

Everything is new to businesses when reopening and business owners are trying their best to make it safe for everyone and run their business. Let’s help each other.

*Of course if it is a big issue, do report it through the appropriate channels.

Workplace Ready

Every sector must think about how they are going to socially distance staff and customers from themselves and each other.

There’s guidance available for close contact services; construction and other outdoor work; factories, plants & warehouses; heritage locations; hotels and other guest accommodation; other people’s homes; restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services; shops and branches; vehicles; and the visitor economy. This can all be found here.

When you’re looking at your premises, assess whether it is something you can do safely and use one-way system if necessary to keep your distance.

Put markers on the floor or move desks apart, put a screen up at the tills, close changing rooms and use appropriate PPE.

Let’s be sensible and support each other to keep distance.

Here’s some of the things you may not have thought about in preparation for re-opening…don’t forget to carry out a Covid-19 risk assessment and check the guidance for your sector on the Government website

Employers should also display a notice visibly in their shop windows or outside their store to show their employees, customers and other visitors that they have followed this guidance. Any business with over 50 employees is expected to display this. You can download the poster here

Support local businesses

When doing a risk assessment, think about what products you need to keep your staff and customers safe. Have you thought that there may be local businesses out there that can supply these items?  Members can buy from each other in our dedicated Facebook Group.

If you would like to share messages of support for the Restarting Business in North Tyneside Campaign, we have made easily accessible all of our graphics, these can be downloaded here