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Face masks were made mandatory to wear in supermarkets in the UK – but what are individual stores saying?
Unless you fall in one of the categories which are exempt, such as those who struggle to breath wearing a face covering, you must cover your mouth and nose to protect other people when shopping in England.
Supermarkets and other shops have been urged to refuse entry to customers not obeying the law, according to The Express.
Meanwhile, a report by the House of Lords has warned new rules on customers wearing face masks in stores have put supermarket staff at risk and may have to be reviewed, reports The Grocer.
Here are the latest updates for the nation’s leading supermarkets.
Asda
The chain encourages customers to remain two metres apart, despite official government guidance recommending social distancing of one metre plus.
An Asda spokesperson said: “Throughout the pandemic our customers have embraced many new rules to help keep everyone safe in our stores, and we are confident they will continue to show care and consideration for each other by wearing a face covering when they visit our stores.
“We also have signs at the entrance to the store and on the shelf edges to encourage customers to wear a face covering and are using Asda FM (our in-store radio) to further remind customers.
“While we will do all we can to strongly encourage customers to respect the new guidelines, the responsibility for policing and enforcing them does lie with the relevant authorities.”
Iceland
The frozen food outlet has stated it will not instruct staff to “police” face covering rules, but supports the additional measure introduced by the government.
A spokesperson told The Sun: “We welcome the additional measures brought in by the Government and will be supporting mandatory face coverings in our stores in England, whilst observing the exemptions outlined in the latest guidance.
“However, we will not put our staff at risk by asking them to police this.”
Sainsbury’s
The supermarket chain has said they won’t “challenge” shoppers not abiding by the rules.
In a tweet, Sainsbury’s said: “We won’t be challenging customers without a mask when they enter or when they are in store since they may have a reason not to wear a mask.”
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Tesco
Customers will have to wear a face covering when shopping at Tesco.
If shoppers have forgotten to bring a face covering, the store will have masks available to purchase near the entrance of the store.
However, like other supermarket chains, Tesco will not tell staff to enforce the rules.
Lidl
Lidl has said it is a customer’s responsibility to adhere to the rules on face coverings. However, shoppers will not be turned away if they do not have a mask.
Aldi
An Aldi spokesperson said: “Customers are encouraged to comply with the Government guidelines on face coverings but, like other retailers, our colleagues are not able to enforce these rules.”
Morrisons
Morrisons is encouraging customers to wear face masks and will be handing out free ones to shoppers who forget. It has also put up signs around the store to remind them of the guidelines, but it won’t be policing customers.
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