Shoppers complain retail workers still aren’t wearing masks despite new laws

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson tightened face mask rules.

The Prime Minister made it mandatory for retail workers to wear face coverings in stores.

Those who fail to do so risk being landed with a £200 fine for first-time offences.

But according to Manchester Evening News, customers have continued to spot employees without masks on.

Thankfully, they often don’t have anything to worry about when they see staff swerving the protective gear.

This is because the government understands some have medical restrictions that make wearing coverings difficult.

Responding to one shopper complaint on Twitter, Tesco replied: "Hi, It is now mandatory for in-store colleagues to wear face coverings in England.

"There may be some colleagues, though, who are not wearing masks for medical or safety reasons. These reasons are set out by the government."

And yesterday, Asda said: "All Asda store colleagues in England, Wales and Scotland will now wear a covering while at work unless they have a medical exemption.

"Colleagues behind a screen do not need to wear a mask. Some colleagues may still choose to wear a covering. Colleagues can do if they wish to and will have one provided for them.”

The full list of people exempt from wearing face masks in shops as set out on the gov.uk website includes (but is not limited to):

  • children under the age of 11 (Public Health England does not recommend face coverings for children under the age of 3 for health and safety reasons)
  • people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability
  • where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress
  • if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate
  • to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to yourself or others ‒ including if it would negatively impact on your ability to exercise or participate in a strenuous activity
  • police officers and other emergency workers, given that this may interfere with their ability to serve the public

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