COVID: Some supermarkets will not enforce mask wearing

Health & Diet Health & Diet: In The News
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Supermarket chain Iceland told the BBC its staff would not ask customers to wear masks to stop them facing abuse.

Tesco, the largest UK supermarket chain, will just be putting signs up to remind customers about face mask rules, the BBC understands.

Aldi and Lidl are also understood to have no plans to challenge customers.

Supermarkets have a range of responses to the new rules, which were brought back in on Tuesday, but most are light touch.

Face coverings have become mandatory again in shops and on public transport in England as a precaution against the new Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Industry body The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said it is up to police to enforce face mask rules, not retailers.

Sainsbury’s said it will have “greeters and security guards at the front of our supermarkets” to remind people to wear masks.

Morrisons is expected to have staff checking face mask wearing at the front of the shops, and hand out masks to customers that have forgotten them.

Asda has also said it will hand out masks to customers who have forgotten to bring them.

Will BJ deal with the shambles that is the reaction to his “rules” … :question:

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Apathy is coming home to roost.

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You can’t blame the shops.It’s inaction and indolence from number10 as per usual.

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In Spain everyone wears a mask if you don’t you wont be allowed in . Lots of Aldi’s and Lidls in the country If you forget someone staff or an other customer will remind you . There are no exemptions and everyone feels ok about it .Other countries in Europe do the same.

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I went into the local Aldi & forgot my mask . I only purchased a few items & went to pay at the checkout, jyst at the moment they did their regular announcement about wearing masks. I apologized to the girl on the till & she said, " Don’t worry if it happens again , just tell a member of staff & they will provide one"
Personally, I have no idea if these masks do what we think they should, but our Aldi staff will always help rather than embarrass the customer.

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Good to see.

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Twink I am pleased to say out Tesco’s also do this ,
Whereas our waitrose staff succumb to rude customers who demand their own way .
It’s not fair as they are often young and always polite and helpful and should not be subjected to this sort of arrogant nonsense .

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It’s hard enough working in a supermarket at the moment without having to suffer abuse from some aggressive twonk of a freedom fighter.

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I suspect it is down to the managers who run each branch how well they handle this.
Supermarkets make a fortune from pleasing customers & they dont want to lose money. When will they realize that rules apply to all customers ? They will soon discover that if they all apply the same rules then customers will use the store that supplies what they want, rather than the ones who suck up to their personal demands! :roll_eyes:

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I hate wearing a face mask, and I was delighted when we were no longer required to wear them in supermarkets. I find them very uncomfortable and they make my glasses steam up. However, if I have to go back to wearing one for half an hour per week while I do my shopping, I’m not going to make a fuss about it. I don’t want anybody thinking that I’m a big baby or an attention seeker. :018:

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Anyone who doesn’t want to wear a mask only has to go on the NHS website and download an exempt certificate to wear on a lanyard. Just tell them you’ve got asthma…They don’t check!

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That’s a sneaky way to subvert the sensible rules that the government is trying to put in to protect people .IMO it’s reprehensible behaviour.
If you want to drive without a seat belt and kill yourself thats your bussiness when you want to spread your germs in a food shop over others that affects me and its not being smart it’s wrong .

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I wish supermarket (or any retail) people could just refuse entry to people who don’t wear a mask. It would make their job a lot easier, and make the public remember to take a mask. If they can remember to take a bag, they can remember a mask.

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But what about all the people who suffer with asthma Muddy, how will you know the difference?

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My DIL a medic has severe asthma she always carries an inhaler but she wears a mask .

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If people who are asthma sufferers cannot bear to wear a mask for 20 mins while they collect their bread and milk, perhaps they should consider online shopping?

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And what about the genuine whimps who simply can’t cope with being asked to do anything that causes them the slightest amount of discomfort? It can be very difficult to tell them apart from those pretending to have asthma. :102:

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In any case, plastic visors are readily available which don’t affect airflow. My wife uses one and it’s never been an issue.

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No disrespect to your wife, Dex, but in my opinion, those visors are ineffective at protecting anyone.

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Tend to agree and no offence taken. She panics with cloth coverings and can’t wear them.

Not ideal, but it’s a compromise which is currently accepted.

They do at least mitigate some spray.

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