ASDA has been forced to explain why it isn’t enforcing the coronavirus face mask rules after a customers “couldn’t believe” how many shoppers weren’t wearing them in one of its stores.
Eve Whitty, 31, from Liverpool raised concerns with the supermarket after she visited a store in Huyton for the first time since lockdown on July 31, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Asda “encourages” customers to wear face masks when visiting its stores
Brits have to wear face masks in shops by law to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The rules were brought in on July 24 and shoppers face fines of up to £100 if they don’t wear one.
Speaking to a shop assistant, Eve asked: “I said if I was smoking in here you would stop me so why isn’t it the same for face masks and they said there was nothing they could do about it. I was absolutely fuming.”
The following day, she emailed the supermarket’s customer service team to ask why customers were not being turned away at the door if they weren’t wearing a mask.
In an email, the retailer said that it is “strongly encouraging” shoppers to wear a mask and that it has put up signs to remind customers they should cover their mouths and noses while in store.
It added: “While we will do all we can to strongly encourage customers to respect the new guidelines, the responsibility for policing and enforcing them does lie with the relevant authorities.”
Not everyone has to wear a face mask, including those who have breathing difficulties and young children.
Asda is among a number of supermarkets who said they won’t enforce the face mask rules.
It said that it was not their responsibility to “police” customers – Lidl, Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have also adopted the same policy.
At the time, Tom Ironside, from trade body the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said that while shops are doing “everything they can” to support the safety regulations, it is up to the police to enforce the rules.
He added: “The ultimate responsibility remains with customers who must ensure that they wear a face covering when going into stores.”