The packs include guidance on social distancing and infection control, posters for display, checklists to ensure employee and customer safety, useful contacts and infection control products.

The initiative is part of the Council’s recovery plan for the three town centres across the Borough.

The Town Centre Team, in conjunction with its partners, is working to support the local business community to increase footfall, create and protect jobs, attract investment and nurture new and existing businesses as they find the road to recovery.

Mid and East Antrim Council has also committed to establishing a Town Centre Recovery Task Group. The task force will drive forward plans to ensure that town centre businesses are supported in the months ahead and that customer safety is priority.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Peter Johnston, said “These packs are just a small way that Council can help local businesses to feel safe in preparing to reopen to the public. This has been an incredibly difficult time for our local businesses in Mid and East Antrim and I hope that they will all come back stronger than ever.”

The packs have already proven extremely successful, and were distributed to hundreds of local businesses over recent days.