Iceland director says staff won’t force shoppers to wear masks regardless of the rules

The boss of the supermarket chain Iceland has said that staff will not be forcing shoppers to wear masks, despite them being made compulsory in shops from Tuesday as part of new covid rules.

However, the chain ‘fully supports the reintroduction of compulsory face masks in shops’

The chain’s managing director Richard Walker said that Iceland would instead be focusing on the “long-term recovering of the high street.”

The news comes as the government put into force new rules that could see Britons face fines of £200 for refusing to wear a mask when required, which could rise to £400 for a second infraction and £800 for a third.

Walker, the managing director of Iceland, said staff on the shop floor should not be asked to intervene when they spot someone without a mask and that Iceland staff would not be policing the policy in their stores.

He told the Daily Mail: “We fully support the reintroduction of compulsory face masks in shops, however, we won’t be asking our store colleagues to police it.

“Our store teams, alongside all retail workers, have shown heroic efforts in terms of ensuring safety for customers and building back consumer confidence and it’s crucial that we stay focused on the long-term recovery of the high street.

“We need to continue to encourage people to shop in stores if they feel comfortable, and I’m hopeful that the latest guidelines won’t discourage customers from doing so.”

On the 28^th of November Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that face masks would be compulsory in shops and on public transport from Tuesday November 30.

Javid was asked by Andrew Marr: “This is a new rule which is in place now and people who don’t obey that, people who go into shops without masks can be fined, will be fined?”

After initially avoiding the question, he eventually replied: “Yes, it will be a legal requirement by government regulations to wear masks in shops and public transport.”