Published: Thursday, 8 April 2021

Non-essential shops in Oxford’s Covered Market are set to reopen from Monday 12 April following the coronavirus lockdown.

The market, which is managed by Oxford City Council, has been open for essential shops, and a number of traders have continued to use it to offer click and collect and delivery services.

From next week, the Government will allow all non-essential shops to reopen – providing they continue to implement measures to meet social distancing and hygiene standards.

The City Council has been guided by national policy in reopening the Covered Market.

It is expected that most non-food traders, such as fashion and gift stores, will open next week.

The City Council has been working with traders to incorporate the latest Government guidance and to make their units as safe as possible for shoppers. Shoppers at the market will still be expected to follow social distancing guidelines and wear face coverings.

Traders are required to follow the Government guidelines.

These measures include:

  • Restricting the number of people inside the unit to enable people to maintain social distancing
  • Leaving doors open so shoppers do not have to touch door handles
  • Providing hand sanitisers where necessary
  • Wearing face coverings

The market will be open seven days a week and the trading hours will return to Monday – Saturday 9am – 5pm and 10am to 4pm on Sundays from 18 April. The opening hours of individual traders are likely to vary.

The public will be able to keep up to date with which traders are open, and their opening times, on the Covered Market’s social media and website.

For more information, please visit the Covered Market website.

Restaurants and cafes could open next month

Some of the Covered Market’s restaurants and cafes, following Government guidance, can only offer a take-away service. The Government has indicated that these businesses could reopen fully from mid-May.

Alongside the reopening of the market, non-essential shops and businesses are set to reopen in the city centre.

“The Covered Market is a much-loved community asset and the City Council is focused on reopening it to support over 50 small independent traders and their customers. It’s a key step towards welcoming shoppers back into the city centre safely.”

Elaine Philip, Markets Manager at Oxford City Council

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