A look at the 'new normal': What it's like to head back into Sunderland's Bridges shopping centre

Tasked with taking a Bridges tour ahead of the reopening of non-essential stores from 9am on Monday, June 15, I was expecting a ghost town.

But stepping from the car park stairs, I was taken aback to see how many people were coming and going.

This was the first time I had been into the city centre since a week before the Government ordered the COVID-19 lockdown.

On that day, there was already an uneasiness that it was wrong to be out as workers behind tills talked in hushed tones about what could be coming next.

Now, people are used to keeping their distance and I saw many wearing masks on their way to line up outside stores which have been allowed to stay open.

But while we have come to accept the waiting and spacing, from the moment I walked in, the message about other aspects of the ‘new normal’ were unmissable.

Yellow and black tape divides corridors, with stickers on the ground and posts urging people to stick to the two-metre rule.

The first person I saw was one of the cleaning team, masked up, kitted out with gloves and busy wiping down an area.

That was followed by security man Frank Johnson, who was also wearing a mask and gloves and helping to keep people right about the measures – he very kindly gave us a Facebook live tour of the measures, if you would like to check out our page.

Having shopped on busy days, this one-way system seems a good idea at any time, let alone when a pandemic has transformed our lives.

Will people stick to it? While many followed the arrows during our visit, some still headed on without a second glance – one man ordered people out of his way as he headed against the flow.

The centre staff have said the measures are advisory and hope people follow them, but have said they will keep an eye on numbers and behaviour, warning they will have no choice but to move to a “one-in-one-out” system if the guidelines are ignored.

The children’s rides, cafe seating areas and the nail and brow bars are still cordoned off and areas usually home to displays – such as the summer beach play area outside the Disney Store – are clear to make more space.

Queue areas have already been created where a large number of customers is expected, with sanitation stations to be set up.

While some shops had their shutters down, it was possible to see the first signs of activity behind locked doors, with sale signs going up and Henry vacuums out ready and colleagues reunited ahead of opening day.

Notices at shop entrances have started to appear, asking customers to wait their turn and to be patient.

Personally I found the efforts made by the Bridges very reassuring.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out as we head back to report on the return of the high street.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of.

Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.