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  1. The pretty market town of Beaminster © Paul Smith
    The pretty market town of Beaminster © Paul Smith

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You are here: Know Before You Go - Covid-19 information > Know before you go town centres

Across Dorset our town centres, highstreets and shopping centres have reopened and most businesses are now open and ready to welcome you.

Welcome back

Things will be a little different when you visit us over the coming months, including measures in place to support social distancing and the new processes businesses are using to help keep their customers safe during the pandemic

Social distancing

Some shops and food and drink businesses will have staff members ready to greet you to explain the social distancing measures inside. Please look out for external and internal signage as the distancing measures and procedures including: hand sanitising, compulsory wearing of facemasks,  payment methods and queueing which will vary depending on the space and type of businesses.

Stay safe

We want you to be as safe as possible when visiting Dorset, please be aware that local authorities have no legal powers to enforce social distancing, so do not put yourself at risk if the businesses or outdoor space you are visiting starts to get very busy. The government has released some guidance about social distancing in public places to help you.

Facilities such as toilets and car parks have now reopened and normal parking charges apply. Read more information from Dorset Council about Dorset town centres

If you are visiting Poole, Bournemouth or Christchurch town centres, you can read more here about parking and public toilets.

Read further Covid secure information from town and parish councils about the town or village you are visiting by selecting the town from the list below.

Visiting Beaminster

Visiting Bridport

Visiting Dorchester

Visiting Portland

Visiting Sherborne

Visiting Swanage

Visiting Wareham

Visiting Wimborne

Shop Local, Love Local

Please support the small, independent businesses of Dorset, they make our high streets so unique. Your custom is important to them and helps support our local economy. When you visit, seek out and try locally produced items and you'll also be helping Dorset artisans too.

We're Good To Go

'We’re Good To Go' is the new official UK mark to signal that a tourism and hospitality business has worked hard to follow Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines and has processes in place to maintain cleanliness, aid social distancing and for training staff. They will also be alerted if guidelines change so you can be confident that the business is up to date and following the very latest guidance.
These businesses have gone the extra mile, and sometimes above and beyond what the guidelines state for their visitors wellbeing and enjoyment of their day trip or holiday to Dorset.
Keep an eye out for the official UK mark when planning your holiday or enquire whether the business you are visiting has obtained this certificate visit our pages to see which businesses now display the We're Good To Go and the AA Covid Confident marks. 

We are really looking forward to welcoming you back to Dorset but please make sure that you #PlanAhead and #RespectProtectEnjoy our beautiful county.

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Know Before You Go - Covid-19 information
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