The council has announced that Macclesfield Library will be open from Monday (6 July) with changes brought in to aid social distancing, including booking visits.

Macclesfield's library on Jordangate is among the first libraries to open in the borough, with Bollington opening the following week (13 July).

Following the pandemic, strict deep cleaning and quarantining of books will become routine and the number of people allowed into a library will have to be limited. Opening hours will also be reduced to allow the extra precautionary measures to be carried out.

Newspapers and magazines will not be available for the foreseeable future and some seating areas and meeting spaces have been removed. Group activities cannot go ahead and meeting rooms for public gatherings will be closed.

Councillor Mick Warren, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for communities, said: "Our library services are going to look a lot different but, sadly – but social distancing and the safety of our library members and users, and our staff, is absolutely paramount.

"There is a required 72-hour quarantine period for books and with all the deep cleaning and other measures we need to take, this is bound to impact on the service and our ability to operate in the way that we are used to operating.

"I would like to thank the public and our staff for their understanding and continued support of our excellent library service."

The first seven libraries will reopen on 6 July, followed by four more the following week and three more from 20 July. Owing to the difficulties in ensuring safe social distancing, Alderley, Edge, Prestbury and the mobile library service will follow later as conditions allow.

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Customers with books to return can do so by depositing them in drop boxes outside the following library Macclesfield Library.

To learn about how our libraries will reopen and operate visit Cheshire East Council website.