Toys, books and clothes: Stores reopen doors across England

LONDON (AP) — The hand sanitizing stations are ready, the social distance markings in place. After a three-month shutdown under coronavirus restrictions, London’s Oxford Street is ready to spring back to life — but things will not quite look or feel “normal” for the British capital’s most famous shopping street.

“Non-essential” retailers — those selling fashion, toys and books, among other items — are reopening Monday across England for the first time since the country went into lockdown in late March to try to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

While it’s a moment that many business owners have eagerly looked forward to, they aren’t expecting shoppers to rush back to what could be a strange, sterile experience.

Stores must meet Britain's COVID-19 guidelines to ensure that shoppers and workers can stay safe. In many shops and malls, that means lining up to enter, using hand sanitizers at the door and following a one-way traffic system inside. Plastic screens will protect workers from shoppers at payment counters and some shops will only take cards, not cash.

Browsing the aisles will be a welcome change from scrolling online, but touching merchandise may be discouraged and many changing rooms will be off-limits.

At London’s Oxford Street, which is normally teaming with shoppers crowded shoulder-to-shoulder, businesses have installed scores of signs to ensure social distancing. Some sidewalks have been widened and extra bike stations were put up to encourage shoppers to travel there without using the city's Underground subway.

With virtually no tourists in town, London's entire West End shopping and theater district is expected to see just 10% to 15% of its normal customers this week. What it will miss most is its high-spending international tourists, for they now face a 14-day quarantine...