UK News

Iceland and Co-Op won’t force customers to wear masks in store

Despite new rules on mask wearing in shops and on public transport coming into force this week, the supermarkets say staff won't force customers to comply

The Hoot - 29th November 2021

Responding to new rules coming into force around mask wearing, supermarket bosses at Co-Op and Iceland have both said that their staff won't force customers to wear masks when shopping in stores.

In spite of new Covid rules coming into force from Tuesday this week, the supermarkets have said they won't be asking staff to enforce them.

Citing the "long-term recovery of the high street", Iceland's managing director Richard Walker said his staff could not and should not be asked to intervene if they see a customer in the store who is not wearing a mask.

He added: "we need to continue to encourage people to shop in stores if they feel comfortable".

The Co-Op has also said it would not be enforcing the use of face coverings and that customers will not be refused service at checkouts if they are not wearing one, reports The Sun.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Walker said: "We fully support the reintroduction of compulsory face masks in shops, however, we won't be asking our store colleagues to police it.

"Our store teams, alongside all retail workers, have shown heroic efforts in terms of ensuring safety for customers and building back consumer confidence and it's crucial that we stay focused on the long-term recovery of the high street.

"We need to continue to encourage people to shop in stores if they feel comfortable, and I'm hopeful that the latest guidelines won't discourage customers from doing so."

What are the new rules on mask wearing in England?

The comments come in response to announcements made over the weekend that rules on mask-wearing will be made stricter from Tuesday, 30 November 2021.

The public will be required once again to wear masks on public transport and in shops, banks and post offices, with police given renewed powers to issue those seen not to be complying with fines of between £200 and £6,400.

The new rules do not apply in bars and restaurants, however, nor in school classrooms, theatres, or cinemas.

What other measures are being brought in?

The Prime Minister has said that anyone arriving in England will need to take a PCR test for Covid-19. This must be taken on the second day of their arrival.

Travellers to England must then self-isolate until they have provided a negative test result.

Why have the measures on mask wearing been brought in now?

The new restrictions have been brought in in response to a new variant of Covid called Omnicron, which was named a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation on Friday.

So far, two cases have been detected in the UK and six in Scotland. The new variant is thought to be more transmissible, with scientists pointing to mutations in its spike protein.

They will be reassessed in three weeks time, on 21 December.

Feature image - Commons Wikimedia / Commons Wikimedia