Asda to enforce coronavirus face mask rule with 'safety marshals' in shops

REUTERS
Kit Heren23 September 2020

Asda has announced it will crack down on people not wearing face coverings to protect against coronavirus in its stores.

The supermarket chain said it would station 1,000 new Covid-19 "marshals" in its 639 shops in the UK to make sure customers are wearing masks properly, unless they are exempt.

The Asda Safety Marshals will stand the front of every store and in the aisles of larger locations to ensure compliance with the rules.

The new workers will also help customers with safety questions, Asda bosses said.

Supreme Court justices will consider an equal pay dispute between Asda store workers and bosses this week
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If shoppers are not wearing masks, they will be told they can get disposable masks to use in-store and pay for them at the checkout.

Stores will also introduce extra hand sanitiser points and protective coatings will be applied to all basket and trolley handles, Asda said.

Following the rule change Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday, Asda employees in England, Wales and Scotland will now wear a covering while at work unless they have a medical exemption, the supermarket added.

Anthony Hemmerdinger, chief operating officer at Asda, said: “We know that safety remains a key priority for our customers and we will continue to do all we can to keep them and our colleagues safe in store, as we have since the start of the pandemic.

Coronavirus: Face coverings become mandatory in shops

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“These additional measures will make our stores an even safer place to shop and work during the coming months.”

The move comes after rival Morrisons said it had reinstated marshals on the doors of its 494 supermarkets.

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