00:00All over social media, Canterbury has been compared to a ghost town.
00:04Many are leaving the city and others are strongly encouraging people not
00:08to come and visit amid the outbreak, over fears of its spreading.
00:13But what is the reality on the ground?
00:16Well, it's week two of the meningitis outbreak and this is what Canterbury High Street looks like.
00:22Found just three miles from the Canterbury campus of the University of Kent,
00:26the high street is busier than expected, full of tourists and residents alike.
00:31But how have local businesses been coping amid the outbreak?
00:35Basically, we are the tourist shops.
00:38So mostly our customers are like tourist base.
00:42So it directly got affected our business.
00:46We have seen like a drop in like last past week and this week is also very quiet.
00:54Obviously, things have been quite slow.
00:57Foot traffic is down by about sort of 25% and takings were down.
01:02I think it's a really good time to start coming back to Canterbury.
01:06It's safe. It's comfortable.
01:08All the businesses are open and ready to welcome you.
01:11Everyone's taken extra sort of precautions.
01:13So I think you can feel very safe and very comfortable coming back to Canterbury.
01:17We need you.
01:19Business being open as usual was a sentiment also shared by Alan Baldock.
01:24So I asked him, why was the high street suddenly so busy?
01:27It's been quieter last week, to be honest, but I think people have got used to it now a little
01:31bit more.
01:32We know it's safe because energitis is not spread in the same way that Covid was spread.
01:37It's much, much harder to get energitis.
01:39It's much more about close contact.
01:42And when you come out shopping, you're not in close contact with people, are you really?
01:45So I think people are beginning to understand.
01:52And only a few steps away from the high street towards the cathedral, Canterbury gets even busier.
01:58As you can see behind me, it's absolutely bustling here in Canterbury.
02:02You've got a busker on one side and all surrounding me, actually, you've got school trips and tourists and residents
02:07all enjoying this lovely sunny day.
02:09In fact, as I was walking through the high street earlier, I came across three different school trips from other
02:15countries.
02:16And I've spoken to a few students as well.
02:18He said they're very excited to come and spend the week here in Canterbury.
02:22And with the new installation of the Archbishop being this Wednesday, is tourism back on the rise for this historic
02:28city?
02:29Nayla Mahamud for KMTV in Canterbury.
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