Changing rooms CAN reopen when shops return from April 12 in England

CHANGING rooms are finally allowed to reopen when shops return from April 12 in England, it was confirmed today.

Customers will be allowed to try on clothes again – but shops will have to follow strict other rules to keep people safe.

Shops will be allowed to reopen their changing rooms from April 12Credit: Reuters

Shoppers must still wear masks in stores

The new guidance, released today, said that managers are advised to leave a gap of “several minutes” between customers and cubicles should be cleaned regularly.

Previously shops have been ordered to keep their changing rooms shut, after they reopened last summer.

But retailers have been calling for change amid fears people won’t return to high streets and will continue shopping online.

Stores are advised to deploy a staff member to control entry to changing areas and allow only one person at a time into a cubicle, the new advice says.

But it stops short of saving that clothes should be quarantined before being put back out on the shop floor again.

The guidance says: “The enclosed nature of fitting rooms may result in increased risk of transmission of Covid-19. They should therefore be carefully managed to reduce that risk.

“Retail businesses should update their risk assessments for each premises where fitting rooms are being used.”

A Government spokeswoman said: “We have set out our road map to reopen the economy and have recently published updated safer workplace guidance having worked closely with retailers, trade unions and medical experts so that businesses can reopen in a way that is as safe as possible for workers and customers.”