After eking out trade over the summer Gravesend businesses are now bracing themselves for the impending second phase of lockdown.

Everything bar "essential shops", courts, schools and universities will shut for a month tomorrow with pubs and restaurants reduced to a takeaway only service.

The Prime Minister announced the new measures on Saturday night in a delayed address to the nation while also confirming an extension to the furlough scheme for the duration of the shut out.

Three Daws Public House owner Lester Banks said the town pier pub had been moving forward but now this announcement "stops everything dead".

He said: "Well we have been gearing up and preparing for Christmas in whatever form it may take. But now this has stopped all of our plans.

"Since we have come back we have managed to move forward but this sort of thing stops everything dead.

"For most pubs and hospitality businesses, the summer and Christmas are the most important parts of the year."

The landlord said the added difficulty was the inability to plan ahead.

"We lost the summer effectively and we are now not going to get much from Christmas," he said.

"I think a lot of people will not be surprised if the shutdown goes on past December 2. Once again we are in a position where we cannot plan ahead."

When asked about companies ignoring lockdown rules, he said: "I think they will be very foolish to do so.

"You just can't do that, we are a licensed premises and we cannot go against the dictation of the Government. We will close our doors on Wednesday at 10pm until told otherwise."

Elsewhere hairdressers were among those forced to close once again after ramping up their Covid-19 secure practices to reopen in July.

Carmella, who is the manager at long-running family hairdressers Luigi's in Rochester Road, said: "This will impact us drastically, we have had everything in place, PPE, sanitiser, temperature checks, plastic gowns, masks.

"It has taken a long time for us to build up business again and get our customers back in, and now we will have to do that all over again."

"It is not just cutting hair, each individual has a story to tell, some good, some bad."

She added: "It is sad for us and my staff as well, they have put in so much effort and have worked so hard.

"I know we have to work for the bigger picture, if we were all in this together, everyone wearing their masks and following the rules we would be in a better position."

Leader of Gravesham Council John Burden said it would be a "challenging" month for local residents and businesses, but felt the latest measures were necessary in the face of a "worrying increase in infection rates", both nationally and in Gravesham.

“While the Government is not re-introducing the shielding programme that we saw in the spring and early summer, support will be available for the clinically extremely vulnerable, of which there are just under 5,000 in Gravesham," the Labour leader said.

"We have a good knowledge and understanding of who those people are in our local community following our work with them throughout this year and will be making contact with each and every one of them to ensure they have a support network in place or that they know how and where to ask for help if they need it."

For those people falling outside the definition but who feel they need help and support he directed them towards the Covid-19 advice pages at www.gravesham.gov.uk

Cllr Burden said they were were awaiting further details of the government's extended support package for businesses either forced to close or adapt to the latest measures.

He said: “Based on our experience from distributing similar support packages earlier this year, we have the processes in place to ensure this funding is distributed quickly and efficiently as soon as details have been confirmed.

“We will be contacting those local businesses we believe qualify as soon as those details are available.

“I know these continue to be unsettling and troubling times for us all. But I truly believe that by coming together once more as one community, by supporting each other and looking out for the vulnerable in our society, we will come through this together.”

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