With final Plan B restrictions set to end in England this Thursday 27 January, Sainsbury has asked its shoppers and staff to keep wearing masks in its stores.
Saying that safety remains its “highest priority”, the supermarket chain set out the requirement today ahead of the easing of restrictions.
It is joined by fellow retailers Waitrose and John Lewis, who will also require customers and staff to keep wearing masks in stores after Thursday.
Rail operators have also said that customers will still be expected to wear masks whilst travelling on trains in England for the foreseeable future.
Guidance to work from home, and the requirement to wear a face covering in classrooms has already ended in England from last Thursday, but from tomorrow, the wearing of face masks on public transport, in supermarkets and retail settings, in communal areas of schools, and “most public indoor venues” will not be required.
The change follows the release of new study findings by Imperial College London, which show that Covid infections in England hit ‘record levels’ in January with 1 in 23 people affected – the highest figure since the React 1 study began in May 2020.
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While the government says it is still recommending they are worn in “crowded and indoor spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet”, Mr Johnson said it’s time to “trust the judgment” of the British public when it comes to face masks.
Sainsbury’s has a different view, however.
It has decided that it will carry on asking those who work and shop in any branch of the retailer in England to keep wearing masks in the name of safety.
The supermarket said in a statement: “Safety remains our highest priority, and so, from Thursday, we’re asking our customers and colleagues in England to continue to wear a face covering in our stores if they are able to.
“We continue to have a range of safety measures in all of our stores, including screens and sanitising stations.”
It is still unclear whether other supermarket retailers will follow in the footsteps of Sainsbury’s.
The Prime Minister said the decision to legally lift all Plan B restrictions on 27 January comes after Omicron cases were seen to be falling across the UK, and on the basis that he believes the wave had likely peaked nationally.
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Mr Johnson has suggested he would like to start treating COVID more like the flu, saying: “There will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.
“As COVID becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others.”
Sainsbury’s has said it will continue asking staff and shoppers to wear face coverings in store after Plan B restrictions have been lifted in England.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.496.0_en.html#goog_187660575232We Found A Stunning Food Outlet Called Viet Shack!
The supermarket chain says it’s because safety remains its “highest priority”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in a statement to MPs in the House of Commons last week that all Plan B restrictions in England would be lifted on 27 January, and that the legal requirement for people with COVID-19 to self-isolate would be allowed to lapse when those regulations expired on 24 March, but that date could be brought forward.
Guidance to work from home, and the requirement to wear a face covering in classrooms has already ended in England from last Thursday, but from tomorrow, the wearing of face masks on public transport, in supermarkets and retail settings, in communal areas of schools, and “most public indoor venues” will not be required.ADVERTISEMENThttps://2ac54f5933ea06f581946145a6a16421.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Read more: All the Plan B restrictions that have ended in England from today
While the government says it is still recommending they are worn in “crowded and indoor spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet”, Mr Johnson said it’s time to “trust the judgment” of the British public when it comes to face masks.
Sainsbury’s has a different view, however.ADVERTISEMENThttps://2ac54f5933ea06f581946145a6a16421.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
It has decided that it will carry on asking those who work and shop in any branch of the retailer in England to keep wearing masks in the name of safety.
The supermarket said in a statement: “Safety remains our highest priority, and so, from Thursday, we’re asking our customers and colleagues in England to continue to wear a face covering in our stores if they are able to.
“We continue to have a range of safety measures in all of our stores, including screens and sanitising stations.”
The Prime Minister said the decision to legally lift all Plan B restrictions on 27 January comes after Omicron cases were seen to be falling across the UK, and on the basis that he believes the wave had likely peaked nationally.
Morrisons, however, has said its customers would not be expected to continue wearing masks from Thursday.
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Mr Johnson suggested he would start treating COVID more like the flu, saying: “There will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.
“As COVID becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others.”
He said the government would set out its long-term strategy for “living with COVID”.
Featured Image – Flickr
