Our high streets are back open for business but we must be sensible - Laura Collins, YEP editor

The tills were silenced and the doors of high street shops and department stores have been firmly closed to customers over the last three months.

And many – especially smaller non-essential independent stores – were left fearing for their survival after the country was plunged into lockdown.

These stores make up the very fabric and heartbeat of our vibrant high streets across Leeds and now they are signalling that they are open for business.

Today Leeds BID has launched a new campaign – Welcome Back to Leeds – in an effort to rebuild the city’s economy after coronavirus forced the country into lockdown.

It will be a welcome relief to those whose jobs and livelihoods rely on the retail sector as they look to start rebuilding their businesses once again.

But there will still be many people who are feeling anxious about venturing back onto the high street again.

Confidence and the way we each behave will be absolutely crucial.

Many shoppers will want to know precisely what stringent measures are being put in place to ensure that they can feel safe and confident in leaving their homes that have been their sanctuaries for the last three months.

And at the heart of this will be people taking responsibility for their own actions when they do go back out.

We have all witnessed those moments in the supermarkets where the rules around social distancing seem to have been thrown completely out the window by some impatient shoppers eager to reach over you or barge you out of the way with their trolleys.

Retailers have said the overall experience in our city’s shops and shopping centres will differ markedly from the last time shoppers ventured out.

New floor plans and queuing systems will be the order of the day as they look to limit the number of shoppers through their doors to accommodate social distancing measures.

Meanwhile hand sanitiser stations will be an all too familiar sight as shoppers are reminded to take safeguarding measures themselves too.

Businesses have had to ensure they are “Covid-secure” according to Government guidelines – right down to looking at how they will quarantine items that have been touched but not purchased or returned to make sure they are safe to return to the shop floor.

Even travelling on public transport will be a very different experience as face coverings will be made mandatory from today.

And those who do not comply risk a fine and being removed from the service.

People are desperate for a sense of normality.

And the re-opening of our retail sector is a huge welcome step in the right direction to kick-start the economy once again.

But underpinning this will be everyone playing their collective role when they are out and about to ensure we don’t go back into lockdown.