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

[UndercoverToad]

Good.

I don't see why people can't be turned away for it wearing a mask (exemptions aside) if a company insists on it.

As you've said, exemptions aside. People simply say they are exempt and that's an end of the conversation with the shop staff then.

As the days and weeks to by, less and less will wear masks once they see others doing it. Get over it. Bring on no mask day.

you have no one but yourselves to blame if infections spiral out of control and we are faced with restrictions again.

Case rates are already out of control. The government is well aware that compliance with non mandatory recommendations will be low. Yet they're doing it anyway.

Grow up

I'm not really sure what you mean by this? Was it intended to be some sort of cutting put down? "You disagree with my stance on masks so I will tell you to grow up" - that sort of thing?!

People aren't going to be wearing masks in the supermarkets nether

Maybe a few.

They will all say that surely as the government has said masks to be encouraged, it's only should and encourage though so doesn't really mean anything.

Maybe there will be a thread per shop😂😂😂

[quote UndercoverToad]@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.[/quote]
its not my 'personal comfort' its safety. mask wearing has its dangers

according to the retail trust....no,it won't be a condition to shop, it wasn't before and it won't be now. i mean, who,exactly ,is going to stop shoppers from entering stores with no mask?? who??

Thankfully I’m in Scotland where mask wearing will continue for a while.

@nether

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.

if you are severely immuno compromised surely you didn't go to the supermarket pre Covid?

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 others.

Exactly @UndercoverToad People who don't realise this are both selfish & stupid, a really winning combination in life.

I'll not be using shops which don't insist on masking. And I'll still wear a mask in indoor public spaces, and on public transport, as well as crowded bits of my high street.

It's a courtesy to shop workers and bus drivers, apart from anyone else. They kept us going through two major lockdowns; it's the least we can do.

@UndercoverToad

The message is that you ‘should’ wear a mask to protect others.

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 others.

33000 children are suffering with long Covid and that figure is rising.

10 to 20% of those who get Covid - even mildly - suffer long Covid.

Is there a source for this utter shite you are spreading ?

People simply say they are exempt and that's an end of the conversation with the shop staff then.

The government has had a year to introduce a formal exemption scheme, instead people with disabilities are getting abuse because they're assumed to be covid deniers.

@MyGardenSanctuary

As the days and weeks to by, less and less will wear masks once they see others doing it. Get over it. Bring on no mask day.

its laughable.....i watch customers approach our doors and they dig into pockets and bags and bring out (along with a load of crumbs, receipts and other rubbish) a well worn mask and stuff it on.....no sanitiser either!!!

why bother??

Probably get a few passive aggressive stares from various masked people, but as it becomes more normal I'd imagine it will disappear completely, at least for a while.

@Orf1abc

People simply say they are exempt and that's an end of the conversation with the shop staff then.

The government has had a year to introduce a formal exemption scheme, instead people with disabilities are getting abuse because they're assumed to be covid deniers.

They are and I've faced the abuse on several occasions.

@ShortBacknSides

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 others.

Exactly @UndercoverToad People who don't realise this are both selfish & stupid, a really winning combination in life.

I'll not be using shops which don't insist on masking. And I'll still wear a mask in indoor public spaces, and on public transport, as well as crowded bits of my high street.

It's a courtesy to shop workers and bus drivers, apart from anyone else. They kept us going through two major lockdowns; it's the least we can do.

how would a shop 'insist on masking' then??

how would that work? who would police that?

I really think going on and on about how wearing a mask makes you some sort of saint has been one of the worst things about this pandemic.

The self-righteousness has been off the chart.

@user1471518104 i would also love to see a credible source for that too

That's good. I was planning to carry on wearing masks in shops anyway, but it's helpful to know that other customers will be encouraged to do so.

I'm not sure what else everyone expected. So many people living in cloud cuckoo land if they think everything can return to what it was like before covid and we can just ignore covid.

@Bryonyshcmyony yes. And I went to work and socialised! There are immunocompromised people who are NHS staff, teachers....
Minimum supermarket delivery is £40 and I can't always afford that

Litterally just come out of sainsbury's and there were about 5 people looking at lunch deals not wearing masks

So if its not happening now its not happening monday

Personally my masks are being banished

[quote gardeninggirl68]@user1471518104 i would also love to see a credible source for that too[/quote]
Me too

I would be inclined to go in without a mask. If they aggressively insist, will smile sweetly, don one. fill a trolley with frozen food, get to the checkout and then realise in horror that I’ve left my purse at home and leave with a promise to return, and leave them with their perishing pile.
Thanks f enough of of us do that , they might getthe message that bullying doesn’t pay.

Good, I’ll only be going into shops/restaurants/cafes who are actively protecting their workers.