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Gloucestershire Business News

Warm welcome at Iceland for the beleaguered older shopper – and thank God for the BBC

Just as the over 70s were probably beginning to wonder whether they would ever see daylight again, high street supermarket Iceland has let in a ray of hope.

Messages from the Government reference the possible spread of what scientists are calling Covid19 are being interpreted as something akin to lockdown, especially for the older generation who are deemed at highest risk generally.

Flanked by Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief science advisor and Prof Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical adviser, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was yesterday telling us the elderly especially needed to take the most precautions.

But they would, he said, and make no bones about it, be 'allowed out for walks' post lockdown period.

Although it is no laughing matter, quite how the elderly would make it to the shops without getting arrested, infected, and surive the barrage of disapproving withering looks on route, suddenly became a very real challenge.

Iceland, the supermarket chain, has been first to deliver what some might think a common sense approach, which will probably be appreciated by a generation who got our nation so far before handing over the reins.

Rather than sweeping anyone over 70 indoors and confiscating the key, Iceland is wondering whether timetabling them some shopping time would not be a sensible option to put into the mix? (Although we probably make it sound more patronising than their good intentions were meant).

And that is exactly what it has done.

"We will be open from 9am to 11am on Wednesdays for OAPs and the vulnerable," said a staff member at Iceland in Gloucester this morning, pointing out in light of our recent siege mentality to shopping a trip to Iceland might not offer quite the choice pre-virus, but it would do its best.

"We have not got a lot of essentials, like toilet rolls, eggs, etc, but we do have them."

The chain is promoting its decision nationwide. From Wednesday 100 of its stores will be open from 8am between Monday and Friday specifically for those at highest risk from the virus.

In other good news, albeit difficult to deliver without sounding like a terrible British solution in the face of what is a serious onslaught of both news and a potentially lethal virus, the BBC also stepped up to the mark.

TV licence changes for the over-75s will be delayed until August. BBC director general, Tony Hall, is the man to thank for that. It was important, he said, that the corporation put the public first "at this difficult time".

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