Mansfield District Council has praised businesses that are making top efforts to keep people safe.

Many businesses started trading again in July after the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased and the council’s Environmental Health team has been working with them to ensure they have appropriate measures in place to keep customers and staff safe.

These measures include ensuring staff wear adequate levels of PPE, that customers are spaced out and do not have the opportunity to mix in large groups, and that there are adequate opportunities for hand washing, effective cleaning and test and trace recording procedures in place.

Among local businesses that the council has identified as having exemplary working practices and procedures in place is Casey’s Coffee Bar on White Hart Street, Mansfield.

Owner Karen Keys, who runs the business with her husband, John, said they had removed almost half of the cafe’s seating and introduced a track and trace system.

“We are following the rules as it would be stupid not to knowing what we know about Covid-19,” said Karen. “We were one of the last cafés to reopen in Mansfield as we wanted to make sure we could keep our customers and staff as safe as possible.

“If we came to a point where we felt our customers and staff were not safe, we’d shut our doors, because safety is paramount to us.

“Our clientele have all been happy with the measures we have put into place and have said they feel safe. Quite a lot of the elder generation use our cafe and one customer is in his 90s. His daughter came in to see what we had done and felt it was safe to bring her dad in.

“As customers enter, along with hand sanitising, we now ask customers to wait to be seated and not move the table or chairs to other places. We have also put a screen up at the till, carry out extra cleaning and staff are provided with visors.”

Coun Amanda Fisher, portfolio holder for communities and wellbeing, said: “By and large most businesses are abiding by the rules and operating in a safe and responsible manner and they should be commended for that.

“We all have a duty to follow the rules – for everyone’s sake – and to take every precaution to keep this virus under control as numbers have started increasing recently and as we head towards autumn and winter. We must all keep thinking ‘Hands, Face, Space – keep Mansfield safe’!

“There are always a few who are not as conscientious as they could be and if customers come across any businesses which are not, for example, following the rules on PPE, we would invite them to let us know so we can look into that.”

Among other Mansfield businesses highlighted by the environmental health team for keeping customers and staff safe are:

Red Gate Inn, Westfield Lane, Mansfield.

Lucys Café, 16-17 Market Street, Mansfield

Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics Lounge, 59 Stockwell Gate, Mansfield

Easy Barbers, 10 Leeming Street, Mansfield.

David Evans, head of health and communities at the council, said: “Our environmental health officers have visited various sites within the hair and beauty sector as well as cafes and restaurants.

“It is very important that anyone involved in close contact with customers wears both a visor and a type two face mask to ensure they are Covid secure in line with government recommendations. Wearing just a visor is not adequate for workers in these roles.”

The kind of jobs that involve what could be classed as close contact are hairdressing, barbershops, beauty and nail bars, make-up and tattoo studios, tanning salons, spas and wellness businesses, sports massage, dress fitting, tailors and designers.

A person greeting front of house can also fall under this guidance, if they are getting close to check a person’s temperature upon entry into a building, for example in a gym.

They should be capturing test and trace information, ensure the chair and equipment used in any procedures is cleaned and disinfected between each client and that each customer is provided with a single-use over gown.

Businesses across England and Wales like pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas are being urged to ensure they have NHS QR code posters visible on entry so customers who have downloaded the new NHS Covid-19 app can use their smartphones to easily check-in.

The app launches on Thursday, 24th September and will be an important way for NHS Test and Trace to contact multiple people if coronavirus outbreaks are identified in venues.

Businesses can find detailed guidance at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

Customers can report any concerns to the council by emailing [email protected].

Pictured are owner Karen Keys with her husband, John, at Casey’s Coffee Bar.