The short answer is, nobody knows, but as we anticipate the lifting of restrictions in the UK, social distancing will be at the forefront of people's minds.

The Ealing Branch of PRET was one of 20 town centre stores re-opened last week, and it offers a good insight into the visual landscape of applying social distancing rules.
PRET is in a prime location and before lockdown had a high turnover business of takeaway and sit-down customers. Now, to comply with social distancing, they are focussing on takeaway and delivery services only, with only six people in the story at any one time.

Store manager Bianca said the prominent signage and the graphic floor markings indicate how the social distancing operates in-store. They feel customers are responding well and like the reassurance of the screens and queueing system, which aims to provide the maximum protection for the health and safety of their customers.

At busy times they have staff at the entrance to manage the queues and the social distancing floor markings on the pavement. It's working well at the moment but may have to be adjusted once the majority of shops and offices re-open.

On a discussion forum with other cities across Europe, everyone agreed that communication and visual co-ordinated signage will be vital to reassure and encourage consumers back on to the High Street. No-one knows how long the social distancing will be in place, but we are getting a feel for what it will look like as countries emerge from lockdown.

Many cities are already looking at how they can protect their destination status and tourism industry while still practising social distancing. 

London is introducing Streetspace; the City of York is looking at implementing a one-way pedestrian system. Other town centres are looking at removing on-street parking to increase pavement capacity and considering car-free time zones. European BID's are looking at closing town centre roads to traffic on certain nights to allow restaurants to spread out tables and chairs to create safe alfresco dining activity. German BIDs are looking at introducing drive-in movies and concerts to support entertainment but maintain social distancing.

The Manchester Music scene has been holding dance music nights over zoom and social media platforms, and Liverpool is looking at 'staycation' tourism and will feature the benefits of convenience, local geography, culture, history, and staying safe. The message for the foreseeable future is 'Home is where the fun is' so let's make it 'true' for Ealing. 

Transport for London has launched the 'London Streetspace' programme to rapidly transform London's streets to accommodate significant increases in cycling and walking when lockdown restrictions are eased. 

They propose to rapidly repurpose London's streets to serve the anticipated unprecedented demand for walking and cycling. You can read the 'Streetspace' statement here.

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The London Growth Hub has launched an online learning platform. It is offering free courses via The Skills Toolkit. Furloughed staff can use the toolkit without impacting their status, so it’s an excellent opportunity to upskill for free.