It was announced on Sunday by Health Secretary Sajid Javid that face masks would be compulsory in shops and on public transport from Tuesday. Two major supermarket chains have said they won’t force customers to wear masks when shopping in-store.
The managing director of Iceland said he would instead be focusing on the “long-term recovering of the high street.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail he 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.”
The Co-op has also said that they won’t be enforcing the rules in their stores. The British Retail Consortium said that it is up to the police to enforce the rules, adding: “Customers are asked to respect the rules and be considerate to their fellow shoppers and to hard-working shop staff.”
From Tuesday 30th November, Brits could face fines of £200 for refusing to wear a mask in shops and on public transport, which could rise to £400 for a second infraction and £800 for a third. The rules are set to be reexamined in three weeks time.
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Feature Image Credit: Photo © Jim Barton (cc-by-sa/2.0)/ Photo © habiloid (cc-by-sa/2.0)
