What you need to know about wearing face coverings at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Waitrose supermarkets

Face coverings are now mandatory at all shops and shopping centres in England.
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As of Friday, July 24, anyone caught without a mask which covers their mouth and nose, and who is not exempt, faces a fine of up to £100.

Children aged under 11 and people with certain disabilities are among those who are exempt from wearing a mask, and there are concerns the new rules could lead to a rise in abuse directed at people with hidden disabilities who are not wearing a face covering.

Face coverings are now mandatory inside shops in England (pic: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)Face coverings are now mandatory inside shops in England (pic: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
Face coverings are now mandatory inside shops in England (pic: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
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The British Retail Consortium said: “While enforcement of this policy will be handled by the police, the ultimate responsibility remains with customers who must ensure that they wear a face covering when going into stores.

"Our shopping experience is changing, and we ask customers to be respectful and considerate.”

South Yorkshire Police said it expected the ‘vast majority’ of people to comply with the new rules.

In a statement, the force added: “Encouraging compliance will be a joint effort between the retail sector, customers, government and police as we all work together to keep the spread of the virus under control. Police involvement will be a last resort, and our officers will only intervene where the retailer’s own approach has been unsuccessful or has been resisted.

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“Staff working in these premises will be working hard to keep people safe. We ask that people listen to them, and adhere to what is being asked with regards to wearing a face covering. We will be supporting retail outlets and if in attendance, our officers will always seek to engage and encourage before moving to enforcement action.

“Officers do have the power to direct people to leave premises, and we can also issue fines where necessary.”

To help customers adjust to the change, introduced to prevent the spread of coronavirus, supermarkets have explained what they will be doing.

Here’s what they had to say.

A spokesman said: “Throughout the pandemic our customers have embraced many new rules to help keep everyone safe in our stores, and we are confident they will continue to show care and consideration for each other by wearing a face covering when they visit our stores.

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"Whilst we will do all we can to strongly encourage customers to wear a face covering inside our stores, it is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to police and enforce the new rules.”

Packets of disposable masks will be available in every store and can be opened and worn whilst shopping, before paying for them at the till.

In addition, each store will have a small number of individual disposable masks available until July 30 free of charge, for customers who do not have their own covering and who are unable to purchase a pack of masks.

SAINSBURY’S

“We are asking everyone to continue playing their part in helping us to keep everyone safe in our stores and to wear face coverings, in line with the government guidance.

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"Posters will be displayed inside and outside our stores and there will be regular tannoy announcements asking customers to follow the new rules, but our colleagues will not be responsible for enforcing them.”

TESCO

Face coverings will be available to purchase in-store and online, while stocks last.

Tesco said there would be signage at the front of its stores explaining that face coverings must be worn by anyone without an exemption.

If a customer has forgotten to bring a face covering, it said it would make packs of face coverings available for purchase near the front of our stores. Customers can open them and add to their basket to purchase later.

LIDL

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A spokesman for Lidly said it was the role of the authorities, not the retailer, to enforce the wearing of face masks.

“To help communicate and encourage adherence to the new regulations we have signage in place across all of our stores and have issued updates on social media and our website,” he added.

“We remain mindful of those who come under government exemptions, such as customers with hidden disabilities, and will therefore not be challenging individuals that are not wearing a face covering. For customers that do not have a face covering, we have them available to purchase in store.”

ALDI

In an email to shoppers, Aldi CEO Giles Hurley said that face coverings woule be available to buy at every one of its stores in the UK.

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"Even as the country opens up again, I know many are concerned about safety and do not want the steps we are taking to move forward, to mean we take a step backwards in the fight against the virus,” he added.

"It is crucial that we all continue to act safely and responsibly, while also enjoying the little parts of normal life that are gradually returning.

"That is why I want to reassure you that the comprehensive safety measures we put in place at our stores at the start of the pandemic are still very much in place – and will remain so for as long as they are necessary."

WAITROSE

A spokeswoman for Waitrose & Partners said on Thursday: “We are awaiting a further update today from the Government but they have made it clear that it is not for supermarkets to enforce the wearing of face coverings.

“However, our marshalls at the entrance to our supermarkets will be reminding our customers of the new requirement. Any customers who are exempt just need to tell our marshalls.”