Mandatory Face Coverings: Advice for Retailers

Face coverings are now mandatory in shops. You can read full publication guidance here.

The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum want to reaffirm that the liability for wearing a face covering lies with the individual. LRF suggest this check list to ensure you are prepared for when this mandatory safety measure comes into force:

The checklist is:

– Have you got enhanced clear signage at your entrance?

– Do you need a dedicated member of staff managing your queue and checking customers have face coverings?

– Will you have face coverings available for those who come unprepared? If so will you give these away, ask for a donation to charity or sell them?

– How will you manage those refusing to wear a face covering, if you have door staff this may be refusing entry. If you don’t have door staff how will you approach a person not wearing a face covering whilst bearing in mind they may have an exemption. This may be effected by whether you have face coverings available for free/donation/sale

– At what point will you refuse entry or ask a customer to leave?

– At what point will you consider contacting the police?

– Do you need to document this or share this info via shoplink radio with other businesses?

– Remember, whilst the police have some powers to issue fixed penalty notices for non-compliance, in practice the management of your shop will be your responsibility, and so to ensure the safety of your employees and customers we recommend you have a plan in place for how you will tackle non-compliance prior to contacting the police

– If customers become aggressive or threatening then you should call the police immediately.

Coverings will be mandatory in enclosed public spaces including supermarkets, indoor shopping centres, transport hubs, banks and post offices.

They must also be worn when buying takeaway food and drink, although they can be removed in a seating area.

Those who break the rules could face a fine of up to £100.

Face coverings at work
Guidance on face covering, their role in reducing the transmission of coronavirus, the settings in which they are recommended, and how they should be safely used and stored is available here.

It is not compulsory for shop or supermarket staff to wear face coverings in England, although employers should consider recommending their use where appropriate and where other mitigations are not in place.

There is no universal face coverings guidance for workplaces because of the variety of work environments in different industries. Employers should continue to follow COVID-19 secure guidelines to reduce the proximity and duration of contact between employees.