Key organisations in the retail industry have unveiled a Retail Recovery Protocol for COVID-19 that is designed assuage concerns among customers and retail employees in the event of the easing of restrictions and reopening of retail stores and shopping centres.
Under the Protocol, retailers and shopping centres have assured that they will continue to follow stringent public health guidelines as people flock back to them when the restrictions are eased.
The Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA), National Retail Association (NRA), Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA), and Australian Retailers Association (ARA) have jointly prepared the Retail Recovery Protocol to serve as a guide for shopping centres and retailers that continue to trade, are re-opening or are preparing to re-open when COVID-19 restrictions start to ease.
The Protocol has been prepared on the principles of consistency and practicality, and with public health as the primary consideration as the industry continues to work with government and public health authorities to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
The Protocol has outlined 10 key actions that retailers and shopping centre are looking to take moving forward, including:
- Ensuring availability of alcohol-based hand sanitiser at key locations such as entrances, customer service desks and food courts.
- Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of frequently-used objects and hard surfaces (e.g. payment registers, handrails, door handles, shelves, trolleys, counters and benches, food-court tables, staff-rooms) and other key hygiene measures (e.g. waste disposal).
- Imposing social distancing and public gathering limits in accordance with Government directions, currently 1.5 metres distance between individuals and a limit of one person per four square metres in stores.
- Checking in daily with staff on their health and ensuring they are properly trained and have access to relevant information and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The SCCA, NRA, SDA, PGA and ARA have also asked the public to give due respect to retail workers who continue to do their job and ensure that the community can access essential and other retail goods and services.
Shopping Centre Council CEO, Angus Nardi, said, “As more people return to shopping centres, we want to assure the community our industry is working hand-in-hand to ensure that strict public health guidelines are followed and that we provide a safe, healthy and secure environment”.
Australian Retailers Association CEO, Paul Zahra added, “Retailers have made an enormous effort to protect staff and shoppers, working tirelessly to create a safe and healthy in environment through the lockdown period and now as most businesses prepare to reopen and serve their customers. This protocol provides the clarity and consistency that retailers are looking for at this time around best-practice.”
And the National Retail Association CEO, Dominique Lamb said, “As more retail stores start to reopen, which will see a surge in customer demand, the community should have confidence their health and safety is a priority for retailers including how they purchase goods and interact with staff”.
