By Nick Morrison

The Willows Coffee Shop  in Kirkwall is one of the Cafes that have reopened.

On my visit this was their second day. They have changed their entrance in order to achieve a “one way flow” in which it is easier to comply with social distancing.

Clear signs to the new entrance to the shop.

The original entrance is exit only. You now follow the green arrows (it is a garden center!) to the new entrance which used to be the exit from the Cafe to their outside seating area.

This is the new entrance to the coffee shop

This was unoccupied the day it being a breezy overcast 18 deg C. What happened to summer?

Just inside there is a table with menus and a hand sanitiser bottle.

A hand sanitation station and menus just inside the entrance.

The staff , all masked or wearing visors take you to a table replacing the previous “scrum” to find a table at busy times. They now ask you for your telephone  number and name, not so very intrusive and absolutely essential for contact tracing . Apparently there are even a few folk who are reluctant to give  that, the mind boggles.

The Willows Coffee Shop has installed screens between tables where social distancing was not possible. On the tables themselves gone are the condiments.  There is a report of Covid being transmitted via a salt cellar in Germany so that is wise. The table also has its own wee hand sanitiser pump.

New screens between tables.

The staff were very upbeat about being open again and excited about being back to work.

Facebook page: Wellpark Garden Centre and Willows Coffee Shop