Government guidance on businesses in England that must presently stay closed has been updated. The government is clear that failure to follow the law relating to these closures can lead to the individual responsible for the business being issued a prohibition notice, a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.

The current pandemic has seen most non-essential businesses closed in an unprecedented high street shutdown that started on 24 March 2020. Only a limited number of retailers that sell what have been deemed to be essential goods have been allowed to stay open. Garden centres and plant nurseries were allowed to reopen on 13 May 2020 as part of a number of measures to slowly ease the lockdown.

The government has also allowed takeaway and delivery services to remain open if they are able to safely operate in line with specific guidance. Online retail and click and collect services have also been allowed to continue to operate if social distancing guidance is followed.

The guidance for businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set by the devolved administrations.