From ghost town to go town – Nelson’s city centre is slowly coming back to life thanks to the support of Nelson City Council and Uniquely Nelson.

Since the announcement of the shift to Alert Level 3, Nelson City retailers and hospitality providers have been working on preparation for limited opening under the new restrictions, which will bring people, business and life back into the city.

This will mean contactless retail – online or click and collect where safe to do so - and hospitality providers which can offer contactless food delivery or pick up.

Nelson City Council is supporting a “Nelson – Let’s Get Clicking!” campaign being rolled out this week by Uniquely Nelson, the Nelson retailers association, to bring the spirit of Nelson back to life and encourage people back into the city centre.

Mayor Rachel Reese says she was happy to support the campaign.

“Council is well aware that our city centre is vital to the spirit of our community and our economic wellbeing. We’ve been working over the last year on revitalising our city centre, and while Covid-19 has presented many unforeseen challenges I am hoping we can also use it as an opportunity to really show how much we value our local food and retail businesses.”

Simon Duffy of Uniquely Nelson says that encouraging people back into the city centre is the first stage of recovery.

“Getting our retail and hospitality businesses going again after the challenges of the shutdown will take some time but the sooner people start shopping again, the faster we will be able to recover.

“These businesses need our support – they are doing all they can to get through this in good shape and we can help them by shopping locally as much as possible.”

“It’s really like coming into the city on any normal day except it is online. All your favourite retail shops, takeaways and restaurants are on offer plus most of the businesses have virtual reality so you can walk into them….virtually.”

The footpath-widening work starting this week by Council to enable social distancing for people accessing takeaway food services or click and collect retail purchases will mean that people can safely visit the town centre at Alert Level Three.

The temporary changes will allow pedestrians to maintain physical distancing requirements safely, and give businesses confidence that their staff and customers can interact in a manner that complies with alert level requirements and minimises risk.

To find out which businesses are open online and what services are available at Level 3, visit uniquelynelson.nz

© Scoop Media