With shops and businesses around the County having reopened their doors following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions from Level 5 to Level 3, Laois County Council has joined forces with Laois Chamber, An Garda Siochana and Downtown Portlaoise to deliver an important message to the people of Laois in the run up to Christmas.
An Cathaoirleach, Catherine Fitzgerald outlined that the Festive Season 2020 will be different for everyone this year, but it is still possible for people to have an enjoyable and safe Christmas while following the Government guidelines.
There has been strong collaboration over the past few months between Laois County Council, An Garda Siochana and Laois Chamber in maximizing resources to try and make the Christmas season safe and enjoyable for all communities in Laois.
People are also being encouraged to support homegrown businesses by shopping local this Christmas.
The Laois Gift Card was launched in mid-November by Laois Chamber in collaboration with Laois Local Enterprise Office and Laois Tourism, and is accepted by a wide range of businesses across the County including the retail, hospitality and beauty sectors.
Downtown Portlaoise launched their campaign “Be a Hero this Christmas and Shop Local” on December 1 in association with LCC’s Business Support Unit.
This campaign launch coincided with the reopening of the retail sector and the campaign has so far received a tremendously positive response.
With over 150 Laois businesses having availed of the “trading online vouchers” since March 2020, there are now lots of ways to shop online and still support Laois businesses.
But for those who do wish to visit the shops and enjoy the atmosphere over the festive season, personal behaviour is very important and people are encouraged to visit www.gov.ie to view the Department of Health guidelines for shopping safely and visiting towns over the Christmas period.
An Cathaoirleach Catherine Fitzgerald concluded by saying that she would like to encourage everyone to shop local this Christmas and to be safe.
“We all need to play our part in supporting each other this year more than ever as it has been a challenging year for a lot of people.”
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