For Ted Maye it has been a difficult period. After getting a hip replacement just as the lockdown began, he was forced into a prolonged period of self-isolation which meant he couldn’t see his beloved family, such as three-year-old grandson Beau.

“It has been frustrating and worrying to be honest because you were sitting in the house wondering if there was ever going to be an end to it. You had good days and bad days.

“I could take apart Only Fools and Horses and old black and white cowboys like John Wayne I watched them that much. I was in the living room on a special chair and watched the whole lot every day. That got me through lockdown,” he said.

Ted kept himself up-to-date with what was going on via social media and kept in touch with his family through texting, but he admits to finding the experience “overwhelming”.

“I didn’t see this wee lad for two months,” he said, patting his grandson on the head. “I didn’t see my children and they are usually in with me every day. It’s only after the like of this that you really appreciate stuff like family. That is everything to me.”

He praised Irvinestown’s “great cross-community spirit” but said he is worried that some shops which were forced to close during the lockdown may never reopen again.

“Some of the smaller shops will have bother reopening. Look around, the town is not as busy as it normally is, it’s just not the same and there was no Lady of the Lake festival which is a big thing. It brought a lot of people and a lot of money to the town,” he said.

Butcher Stephen Millar admits to feeling “physically exhausted” following a busy number of months in his shop on the main street.

“We were very lucky during the lockdown that business was good; there could have been a dozen people in the queue at all times. It was great but it put a lot of pressure on staff to their job and to do so safely,” he said.

Stephen added: “I didn’t get days off work, I didn’t get a day off, I have been working seven days a week. I don’t have a start time or a stop time, I just work until the work is finished. Physically I am tired now, I am run down and at the time I was sharp and cross with customers and that was due to a lack of sleep and extra work.”

The heavy workload included deliveries, everywhere from Belleek to Newtownstewart.

“Deliveries are great but I have always said from day dot that the more shops in the town the better the town will be and the sooner they are open the better.

“Customers are supporting local and I can see a big swing away from supermarkets,” he said.

Georgina McElwaine,the manager of S.D. Kells, said business since reopening last week has been “better than expected.”

“It’s very important that every business gets back to where they were to keep the town going, though I do think people are staying local now.

“I was concerned if we would get back to normality again or not. There is a bit more positivity than a few months ago, absolutely,” she said.

Joined by daughters Isla (three) and Imogen (eight), Kathryn Jones made a quick stop to pick up a few essentials in between home schooling her children.

“It has been worrying and then having to home school with no childcare. We try to do the home schooling first thing; maths, English, reading, spellings but an hour a day and that’s their concentration lost. I have even more respect for teachers,” she said.

She said Irvinestown was “like a ghost town” during the lockdown but has improved now.

“It has definitely lifted; it was quite scary coming in here. I hope all the shops will reopen because for businesses it has been really worrying.”

John Dickey, who has been running T. Dickey and Co. since 1967, said the impact of Covid-19 is different compared to the impact of the financial crash.

“I suppose it would have been very different if we hadn’t been able to stay open as it allowed to keep a level of cash flow going. And early on one of the first cries was for tins of paint!” he smiled.

“It will be essential for people to support the town as time goes on,” added John.

Tara Coll has worked at the company for almost two years and said she was pleased to see the town “going back to normality.”

“It has been stressful, the demand was crazy but we got through it. But it’s good to get out, for mental health and everything, or you will be confined to your house. Getting out to work every day has helped me.”

Tom Mollan, who runs Mollan Bros Furniture, said the 2009 recession was “much worse”, adding that despite having to temporarily close “we were well looked after by the government.”

“The staff went on furlough and the Irvinestown Trustees gave us a rent free period. We look after each other here and I have to say the Trustees, ITEC, they were very quick on the ball to help us. They seen us through the recession too.”

He says business is very steady since reopening as more and more people look into revamping their homes.

“People have been locked up for so long and are looking around them, thinking life is too short, I need a good mattress to sleep on. They are now looking for sofas, chairs and now tables and chairs are booming because more people are all home and sitting about, there are bigger families, and they realise they need more space.”

Tom, who has been in business for 24 years, is optimistic about the future.

“No point getting down in the dumps, just get on with it until such time you derail,” he told this newspaper.