Dursley 'eerily deserted' as residents prepare for coronavirus to hit

The town’s leisure centre The Pulse yesterday was closed 'indefinitely'.

A spokesman for Stroud District Council, which runs the facility, said: “To protect the public and staff, the decision has been taken to close The Pulse leisure centre in Dursley.”

A sign on the door, which shut yesterday (Wednesday) reads: “The Pulse is now closed.

“A date for reopening will be published on our Facebook page and website as soon as it becomes available.

“We apologise for the obvious inconvenience this will cause.”

Elsewhere in town, shops have been adapting to the changing times.

Boots, the chemist, is operating a ‘one in, one out’ policy.

A note on the door of the Parsonage Street store reads: “Due to the constant and fast evolution of the COVID-19 virus, we must all do our part in slowing down the spread of virus.”

It goes on to note: “We are operating on a ‘one in, one out’ basis. We kindly ask for your patience and we shall call you in one by one.

“Keep 2m distance in the pharmacy and counter. Please stay behind the drawn line.”

The town’s Sainsbury branch is offering an elderly shoppers only session from 7am to 8am, from today (Thursday).

And Iceland is providing priority shopping for those of state pension age and vulnerable groups on Wednesday mornings, from 9am to 11am.

Michael Purton, the editor of the Gazette who lives in Dursley, said: “The town centre was eerily deserted. Bank and Hummingbird cafes were both closed, as was the Pulse leisure centre, while Boots was operating a one-in, one-out policy on customers in the shop and the handful of people waiting outside said they were there for paracetamol, but there was none left.

“Sainsbury’s was busy, of course, but there was no toilet roll left and hardly any nappies either.

“However, everyone I saw in the street was keen to say hello and seemed positive despite the situation.

“These are unprecedented times and all we can do is try to be positive and constructive.”