Since mid-March we have as a family been ‘shielding’ from Coronavirus as one of us is on the NHS vulnerable list. This has meant that I have been unable to go to a post office and therefore trade normally. It was announced recently that shielding will end on the 1st August for England and 16th August for Wales. This means that in the eyes of the government we can return to a socially distanced ‘normal’. Personally, I think our current government is mostly blind when it comes to Coronavirus and hasn’t got a clue where it’s going but we have to take note of the official advice.
Given our proximity to the Welsh border we will keep a close eye on what is happening in Monmouthshire and make firm decisions as a family nearer the time but, as things stand, I am planning to reopen to mail orders at the beginning of September. We have a much needed family holiday booked towards the end of August (usually taken in Cornwall but will probably be taken at home) and I have a stack of jobs to do around the house before Autumn which makes reopening earlier a little tricky; no Furlough layouts being built here it’s been wall to wall work and childcare. When I do reopen I want to be able to give a proper service rather than a piecemeal one.
This could of course change if there is a significant deterioration in current situation with Coronavirus and a change in the advice given by the Welsh and English NHS.
I’m sorry that I bring news of an immediate reopening but obviously the health of my family takes precedence over anything else.
Justin Newitt July 2020