Pret staff get ‘hand wash alarm’ every 30 minutes

STAFF at Pret a Manger have been told to wash their hands when an alarm sounds every 30 minutes, with bearded employees being subjected to even greater scrutiny.

The takeaway chain is one of a number of firms to have enacted special policies for staff to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

A central London branch of Pret has introduced the alarm and those with facial hair have been told to wash their hands every time they touch their beards, staff confirmed.

Meanwhile, wholesaler Costco has started spraying trolley handles with disinfectant, making customers queue out of the door, and Starbucks has extended its ban on personal reusable cups to the UK.

Pret is understood to have applied its existing policies for those working in the kitchen to its front-of-house staff.

A spokesman said: “We, like every other food business, are monitoring the situation closely and listening to the government’s advice. We’ll keep looking at all aspects of our operations to make sure that we’re applying the latest official guidance from the relevant authorities.”

Meanwhile, a video taken in Costco in Croydon appeared to show a queue of customers waiting for a member of staff to spray them with disinfectant.

Costco said it has introduced a policy of disinfecting trolley handles to help prevent coronavirus from passing between customers.

A spokesman said: “We are simply sanitising trolley handles in an attempt to be as proactive as we possibly can to protect our employees and members.”

Coffee chain Starbucks also extended a policy on reusable cups, preventing customers from bringing them into its shops, to the UK in an effort to curb the spread.

Robert Lynch, the European vice president, said: “Out of an abundance of caution, we are pausing the use of personal cups or tumblers in our stores across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

The chain is also suspending the 5p charge for plastic cups.