As shops in Plymouth begin to reopen, additional safety measures have been put in place in the city centre and around the waterfront to help keep you safe when you’re ready to visit.  

What safety measures have been put in place?

• New signs reminding people to social distance
• Enhanced cleansing regime for the public toilets
• The street cleansing team will be paying particular attention to contact points like bins and seats
• Changes have been made to the city’s car parks
• Shops are required to carry out their own risk assessments and make changes to manage social distancing both inside and outside their premises

Are the public toilets open?

A small number of single cubicle toilets are open in order to maintain safe distancing, find out more on the Plymouth City Council website

What are the changes to parking in Plymouth?

• Plymouth’s car parks and on-street bays will become cash-free:
• In car parks this means that payment machines will no longer accept cash and instead you will have to pay by credit or debit card
• On-street parking will be paid for by RingGo, either via the mobile phone app, website or by phone.
• Two-metre safe distancing markers have been placed around all payment facilities
• Clear direction signs have been put up to direct you when you’re walking to and from your car in multi-storey car parks, including separate staircases designated up and down to reduce the likelihood of people getting too close
• Lifts have been signed for safe distancing with only members of the same household to share lifts at any one time        
• An enhanced cleaning regime has been introduced to car parks, with particular attention paid to areas people may touch – such as payment systems, stairwells, handrails, lift areas and doors

What can I do to help?

• If you or anyone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus, please stay at home and self-isolate
• Remember to follow the social distancing guidelines set out by the Government and try to keep two metres away from people who are not from your own household
• Wash your hands regularly, or use hand sanitiser when out and about
• If you can, wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth in situations when it's hard to stay two metres away from people, such as in shops or on public transport
• Follow social distancing and queueing instructions set out by businesses, and be mindful that you may have to wait to be allowed in to some stores to allow for a safe shopping experience.

You can find out which shops in the city centre are open on the Shop4Plymouth website.

Plymouth Market 

Plymouth Market will reopen from June 15 and is expecting around half of its traders back - but with no cafes or nail bars open for the time being. There will be a limit on the number of customers allowed in at any one time, although this will be kept under review. 

The entrances at New George Street and Cornwall Street will be closed for now, and people will have to go in and out via Market Avenue and the car park entrances. 

The market will be open from 9am to 4.30pm. 

Drake Circus Shopping Mall

To help maintain social distancing, the Drake Circus team will be limiting the number of visitors to the centre to make sure that everyone can reasonably maintain a two-metre distance. The team may need to ask visitors to patiently wait in a queue outside, or temporarily close access to the centre and its car parks should demand peak.

Drake Circus will be implementing a one-way, ‘keep right’ system that will direct how shoppers move around the centre, as well as allocating specific ‘in’ or ‘exit’ only entrances. New signage has been installed throughout the centre to help everyone to follow the new guidelines.

A number of stores will be trialling a ‘traffic light’ system which uses red and green signals to indicate if visitors are able to enter or not, depending on capacity. If a store is displaying a red sign, visitors are asked to please keep moving throughout the centre.

Cyclists can make use of the bike racks on Cornwall Street outside the M&S Foodcourt entrance, and there are also bike racks available on Level-2 of The Barcode in the lift lobby.

Enhanced hygiene and cleaning regimes will continue to be in place, with hand sanitising stations available to shoppers at all of the centre’s entrances and exits, as well as on key touchpoints throughout the mall.

To help keep both staff and visitors safe, plexiglass screens have been fitted at all visitor desks and the Drake Circus team will also be provided with suitable PPE including gloves and face masks.

Find out more about Drake Circus reopening.