Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
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Stores: Fears of We will not attacks by force rules customers
WITH assaults on shop staff up 40% since lockdown, bosses fear trying to force customers to wear face masks in stores will only lead to further violence.
And the body representing workers and owners yesterday urged members to turn a blind eye if shoppers refuse to comply with the rules, rather than risk any confrontation.
Most stores said they were taking a softly-softly approach with posters reminding people it was compulsory to wear a face mask but without any heavy-handed actions to back it up.
But confusion last night surrounded the regulations, as the Government is only revealing the full guidelines today, just 24 hours before face masks in stores in England become compulsory.
And police chiefs urged shop staff only to call officers as a “last resort” if customers break the rules, which carry fines of up to £100.
The Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “We are helping retailers to communicate the rules around face coverings as widely as possible to customers, but have advised our members not to challenge customers who are unwilling to wear one.
“The safety of retailers and their colleagues is our number one priority and we are keen to avoid any potential flashpoints of abuse in stores.”
The ACS is issuing posters with the words “thank you for wearing a face mask” and signs explaining why some people may be exempt. British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “While retailers will play their part in communicating the new rules on face coverings, they must not be the ones enforcing them.
“There are hundreds of incidents of violence and abuse directed at retail staff every day.” One retail insider criticised Boris Johnson, who wore a mask on a recent trip to the London Ambulance HQ, for leaving it so late to tell shops full details of its rules.
The source said: “There is no clarity but plenty of frustration as everyone is waiting for the criteria to be published. It’s been left a little late.”
Britain’s biggest grocer Tesco said it
be fooled by online offers for medical products. Be in no doubt, medicines sourced in this way present a real danger to those taking them.
“This problem is not something we can tackle in isolation and my department will continue to work with other agencies to disrupt the supply of illegal medicines.
“Clinical trials are currently ongoing to find a treatment for Covid-19 however there currently is no medicine licensed specifically to
treat or prevent the infection.”
Illegally imported medicines are not authorised and have not undergone regulatory approvals required in the UK.
The Chief Medical Officer said: “I would urge the public to be vigilant and to avoid putting their health at risk by using medication from an unknown source. People will have face mask stands at entrances for forgetful shoppers, which they can pay for at checkout. But there was no enforcement policy.
Sainsbury’s revealed it would not “challenge customers” in its aisles as it was worried “they may have a reason not to wear a mask”. And the Co-op said its staff would not question those
should only take prescription medicines after an appropriate consultation with their GP or other healthcare professional and source them from a registered pharmacy.”
From July 1, anyone in the UK selling medicines online to the public needs to be registered with the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and be on the