Shoppers defied Covid-19 lockdown during warm weekend
Retail footfall jumped at the weekend as warm weather tempted shoppers to flout social distancing measures introduced to restrict the spread of Covid-19, a survey showed.
Visits to high streets and shopping centres plunged by 75% in the week beginning 22 March and 81% the following week as government restrictions on store openings and individuals took hold, the Springboard footfall survey showed.
But footfall rose 9.5% on Saturday and 21% on Sunday, suggesting that many consumers decided to ignore government warnings and head to the shops. The increase on Sunday was strongest in London, up 51%, other large cities, where footfall rose 32% and in coastal towns, up 30%.
Warm weather is predicted for the Easter weekend starting on Friday 10 April, raising concerns that shoppers will head for stores in defiance of instructions. The government has warned that if people fail to stay home it will consider stricter enforcement measures as it seeks to reduce Covid-19 infections.
"Despite repeated warnings on the implications of coronavirus, the warmer weather brings dangers to the coronavirus pandemic," Springboard said. "With the warm weather set to continue over the four day Easter weekend, this brings into question what further measures the government will need to enforce to curtail this movement."
Springboard said even if some shoppers flout the rules the unprecedented closure of most stores will make the Easter weekend unrecognisable from previous years. The Easter weekend in 2019 generated more retail footfall than any one trading day apart from Black Friday, making it an important trading period, Springboard said.