Streets of Mayo county town noticeably busier

The streets of Castlebar have been noticeably busier today.

From early morning, the traffic and pedestrian flow was at a much higher level since the Covid-19 lockdown began over 12 weeks ago.

The reopening of many retail shops and return of more people to work brought a fresh buzz to the town centre.

Shop owners reported that customers were very compliant with social distancing measures introduced in smaller stores.

A retailer told The Connaught Telegraph: "The public have become very accustomed to the restrictions and there is no fussing over them now.

"People are happy to be out and about again with the option of visiting more shops for the first time since late March.

"There can see the pandemic coming to an end and they are very upbeat about that.

"People were generally in very good form and it was wonderful so see that after weeks of anxiety and worry."

While facemasks were prominent, the majority of people choose not to wear one when out and about but many did put a mask on when inside shops.

With the number of Covid-19 cases in Mayo continuing to decline, further lifting of restrictions is inevitable over the coming weeks and towns like Castlebar will get even busier.