Sainsbury's and Tesco have joined the bookseller, Waterstones, which has said customers should wear masks to protect staff and other shoppers.

[UndercoverToad]

Good.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57839990

@Notstrongandstable

Good for them. People who can wear them but won't with 42K cases yesterday are being petulant children. They really aren't that bad

no i won't

work in retail and the job is physical with lots of heavy lifting involved....you sweat the minute you start and then are uncomfortable for entire 9 hour shift....no air con or much airflow in a tin box. using heavy duty machinery with sweat pouring and glasses steamed up...surprised we've not had any serious accidents. now its our choice most of us are ditching masks

i may wear one for short periods when busier but will see how i feel

John Lewis too.

those links only say they encourage or recommend

none of the stores mentioned are enforcing it in any way....its just a play on words to be popular

They need to be compulsory or not compulsory. I hate masks and was determined not to wear one after the 19th. Now I'm having second thoughts. The fear fact is kicking in. I suppose that's the idea.

[quote UndercoverToad]www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/15/tesco-john-lewis-ask-customers-staff-face-masks-england[/quote]
So much of this is such a non-story. John Lewis has said they recommend it but “the decision over whether to do so or not, when in our shops [in England], will be for each individual to take, based on their own judgment.”
Meaningless. That is exactly the answer I’d expect from most shops when asked “what’s your position on customers and masks?” “well we recommended it but it’s up to them”

no....john lewis clearly say its for own judgement and they 'recommend' wearing a mask

come on!

Mask compliance has been very high where I live but yesterday I was queing in a shop and the person behind, a man of about 30 was not wearing a mask. He was close behind me, laughing and chatting and I thought to myself I'm going to have get used to this and get over the discomfort I feel.
If shops encourage it then I hope the mask wearers will be the majority.

@TopBitchoftheWitches

I work in both stores, you need to continue to wear a mask, thankfully, us store workers are sick of you putting us at risk, just to visit a supermarket.

Sorry, but people don't have to wear one any more. Get vaccinated.

I wont wear one and will vote with my feet if forced to do so! Its no longer a legal requirement as of the 19th

It’s now guidance and left to choice like it or not.

@Bryonyshcmyony

The PM of the most vaccinated nation on Earth (Israel) reintroduced a strict mask mandate this week claiming they were the only way to defeat Delta. Vaccination does not confer invincibility.

I don't live in Israel. If it becomes law again I will do it. And I might do it if I remember but it isn't going to be a priority.

@gardeninggirl68 tbh your personal comfort doesn’t really mean much to me when compared with a spiralling infection rate and 33000 children suffering long Covid in the UK.

London Transport are saying wearing a mask is a condition of carriage.

I hope they say it’s a condition to shop.

@MikeHat

Mask compliance has been very high where I live but yesterday I was queing in a shop and the person behind, a man of about 30 was not wearing a mask. He was close behind me, laughing and chatting and I thought to myself I'm going to have get used to this and get over the discomfort I feel. If shops encourage it then I hope the mask wearers will be the majority.

Oh my god, a human being acting like a normal human being?! Disgusting!!

I hope they say it’s a condition to shop

They won't.

I won't be wearing a mask in Tesco.

I'm double jabbed, and am just finishing having covid. I am no risk to anyone.

@LucilleTheVampireBat

"Should" being the key word.

It isn't the law anymore. You will have to get over that i'm afraid.

Grow up

@wanttomarryamillionaire

I wont wear one and will vote with my feet if forced to do so! Its no longer a legal requirement as of the 19th

And others will vote eith their feet and go to these stores. And be glad you aren't there

So they aren't actually enforcing it then, just "encouraging"? Bit meaningless really then isn't it. Non-story, as a PP said.

The masks are gesture politics
It is the combination of lockdown, social distancing and vaccination that has worked
And the natural progression of a virus
Will only wear one when in close contact for a protracted period as on public transport

I hope they say it’s a condition to shop.

Why do you think they will start doing this? They haven't done it so far. People have been wandering about shops without masks all along.

@Bryonyshcmyony

*If you choose not to - and are not exempt - you have no one but yourselves to blame if infections spiral out of control and we are faced with restrictions again. You will be directly contributing to the suffering of others8

what rot

I've had the vaccine, that's my bit done and dusted.

Same here. No masks for me. Don't care what others think. My Tesco has loads of unmasked already.

[quote IndigoC]@Bryonyshcmyony

The PM of the most vaccinated nation on Earth (Israel) reintroduced a strict mask mandate this week claiming they were the only way to defeat Delta. Vaccination does not confer invincibility.[/quote]
and masks don't prevent transmission either....Delta or otherwise

even those bothering to wear them don't wear them properly
sanitiser.....nobody bothers...i'm responsible for keeping PPE topped up/in place in my retail workplace. we have couple of thousand a day through our doors and i've replaced 2 small public use bottles twice this month...2!!

This is brilliant news

CEV person in household. We've been really worried about the extent of loss of freedom that 19/07 brings to those around the severely immune compromised.

But with most public transport, and a couple of supermarkets still having masks as the norm, our world doesn't narrow.

Fingers crossed for one of the big pharmacy chains to follow suit.