Retail set to resume on April 5
Τhe government wants retail commerce to reopen on April 5, even if that means having a transition period until April 12 during which purchases will be made through the “click-in-shop” method – i.e. after an appointment – according to sources.
As the reopening of the market on March 29 has now been abandoned due to the adverse virus data and the great pressure on the National Health System, the government intends to open retail stores as early as possible – hopefully in the first full week of April – and not to extend the suspension of activity till April 12.
Although the central objective remains the full reopening of retail stores from April 5, with the normal operation of brick-and-mortar shops, and not through the click-and-collect or click-in-shop systems, this appears to have run into the views of the experts.
Kathimerini understands that this is why the government is considering the alternative that provides for the click-in-shop model for the first week and then full operation to resume from April 12. The application of the click-and-collect system is currently considered an unsustainable solution, competent officials argue, stressing that it made sense for the period when it was applied – i.e. in the second half of December 2020, so as to contain the losses of the Christmas turnover.
The government is also opposed to the view of some retail representatives, in favor of opening small enterprises first and then the rest, as was the case in May 2020 to the dismay of the market. What the enterprises do not want at all is the application of a restrictive model now, such as click-and-collect, only to have it suddenly abolished again. That is because when this happened both at end-December and in early February, it came at great cost and confusion for shopkeepers, as thousands of appointments were canceled and orders then had to be forwarded to consumers.
In any case there will be restrictions, such as one person per 25 square meters, the use of a mask, and a coded text message to the 13032 number.
