Why are Sainsbury's (and others) asking for continued mask wearing?

[jowly]

To keep their staff well? ( many don't wear one even now)

To give customers a sense of security?

I'm very willing to wear one if there's a reasonable reason to.. and I get all the theories why we may be wise to. But why are supermarkets going for this request? Why is it in their interest?

Am I missing the obvious?

Because removing masks at this point in my local community is pure bonkers. And I say that as someone who took the mask off when shopping during the lull in late summer and autumn.

Our local primary school is being ravaged by covid (and so is our household).

Just because the PM thinks we are done with masks doesn’t make that the correct or sensible decision. Cases will be rising again.

@RedCandyApple

Tfl say you still have to wear them as well regardless of the rule change, hardly anyone does anyway and no one polices it.

Very unwise to believe that. TfL recently announced that their enforcement officers had issued 1450 fines of £200 in the three weeks ending 3rd January to passengers not wearing masks.

It’s only now that we’ve got Covid in our house, we’ve avoided it until now.
It’s not gone away so I’ll be happy to wear my mask and I’m more likely to shop where they’re encouraging masks.

The last time mask wearing was lifted, M&S and Tesco still asked customers to continue wearing masks. After about 2 weeks, most of their staff weren’t wearing them and very few customers were. I presume it will be the same this time. Nobody wants to wear one and I expect supermarkets are just trying to kick covid down the road until cases start dropping.

twitter.com/uknhsgp/status/1486581220054077443?t=g5_eY4e6mFT9d29DvwDHrg&s=19

Because Salisbury is showing they have more understanding of current reality than Johnson (who is trying to save his arse).

*sainsburys

Sorry I was wrong, masks mandate dropped on transport too.

infections have levelled off at around 100k per day and the 7 day rolling death rate is 243 per day...... but sure ease (the very mild) restrictions in mid winter.

So either plan B doesn't work or the restrictions are lifted for political reasons as Wales and Scotland have kept mask wearing - there is no political gain for them to keep masks etc.

After about 2 weeks, most of their staff weren’t wearing them and very few customers were

As we move in to the summer, and as case numbers become the much lower number we associate with the warmer, usually drier, months then I'd expect to see the wearing of masks on large indoors places to tail off.

It's still winter (though so far much drier than last year, which will help) as we're still at over 100,000 cases a day.

This is definitely Operation Save Boris - you can tell by the tone of the right-leaning press

I imagine the CEO of Sainsbury's is better at running his organisation than Boris Johnson is at running the country and is thinking of the long term interests of his shareholders, staff and customers.

If only our esteemed leaders could do likewise!

The answer in some ways is maybe partly because the government removed restrictions too early, so now loads more staff will be off sick.

The government are removing everything that can help to prevent transmission before removing the need to isolate. Which makes things very difficult for services and businesses, not to mention school pupils themselves.

The government are idiots, their decisions are all about Johnson's bloody career.

@jowly

To keep their staff well? ( many don't wear one even now)

To give customers a sense of security?

I'm very willing to wear one if there's a reasonable reason to.. and I get all the theories why we may be wise to. But why are supermarkets going for this request? Why is it in their interest?

Am I missing the obvious?

Because if their staff get covid, symptomatic or not they are off for a week. If we didn't have mandatory isolation sainsburys probably wouldn't be as bothered. Even if you doubt the efficiency of masks its an attempt to keep their shops staffed.

I guess Sainsbury is like my own workplace, they have made their own risk assessment, and taken into account the views of their own staff and the needs of some of their customers.

As far as I can tell, COVID is ripping through schools right now. My entire family has just been ill. A colleague of mine has experienced the exact same thing. Current laws still mandate fairly strict self-isolation, so that's quite disruptive from a work attendance perspective.
My guess is Sainsbury's HR department is perfectly able to look at staff illness figures and draw their own conclusions.

surely you have a mask you can wear.
i shall continue

@MrsSkylerWhite

Because it’s an easy way to help prevent transmission.

This

@Icequeen01

Because it helps people like my 82 year old mum feel slightly more comfortable about doing her shopping? Is it really so much to ask?

Everyone is different though. My mum is also 82 and has really struggled with wearing the masks throughout. She is triple jabbed and sensible but will feel so much more comfortable able to go shopping from today minus the mask.

Given the news that two-thirds of infections may be reinfections, and these are not counted in the daily case stats (changing next week) the current cases stats are hugely undercounting.

Cases rising in school age people and their parents, and now also in the >60s.

Their motive is it might encourage people who feel apprehensive about masks not being worn anymore to shop with them.

As others have said, this is good PR for them - they want to be seen as 'doing something' and it creates the illusion they care - 'people first'. It's marketing 101. They don't care about their shop floor staff (because if they did they'd pay them a decent amount) or their customers. It's all about profits and keeping their shareholders happy.

They can't enforce it, of course, and I'll be going to Sainsbury's mask-free tomorrow. Have been for a while and nobody's challenged me.

They can't enforce it, of course, and I'll be going to Sainsbury's mask-free tomorrow. Have been for a while and nobody's challenged me

FiGhT the System!1!

Because covid is still rife?

They can’t make people wear masks but they can ask people too. I think many places are asking people to wear them if they can because they don’t want more staff off with covid. My DD’s school are asking the kids to wear them still in some communal places because case are still rising here. It kind of makes sense. I’m happy to wear one when asked too.

There's still a huge amount of Covid in my area. Far more than when the mask requirement was brought back last year. Even before that my local supermarket was encouraging people to continue to wear masks.
I am definitely more comfortable shopping in stores that encourage it and will continue to wear my mask

Yes, you are missing the obvious unless you are deliberately being obtuse. Just because the restriction is lifted, the virus don't disappear magically. Cases are still high. It's sensible to try to minimise the transmission anyway you can.

I’m very pleased that most of my local supermarkets and all the small independent shops are asking for masks to be worn.
Mad not to with increasing rates almost everywhere.