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?

To make their more vulnerable customers feel secure?
I really feel for the elderly - no mandatory masks on trains soon. Yet this week my son abs four of his friends - all of whom take public transport to school -have developed Covid. Lucky thst they wear masks (!| my son wears an FP2) (and the fact they have it doesn’t prove masks don’t work - if Proves that birthday parties can be super spreader events))…

and waitrose

dm will be smug pleased

it is really crazy to ditch the masks

It will be exactly the same as last time with encouraging people, lots of threads about people being told they wouldn't be able to shop without one and none of this happened.

Because they've decided, on balance, that their customer base would prefer that. It'll be interesting to see if they enforce it.

@TheKeatingFive

Because they've decided, on balance, that their customer base would prefer that. It'll be interesting to see if they enforce it.

Of course they won't enforce it

It has never been enforced. How would you suggest it's enforced?

@Dontforgetyourbrolly

To pander to the hysterical thinking that a piece of cloth slung over peoples mouths or chins with their nose hanging out will end the pandemic .

I agree.

FFP2 masks can stop up to 90% of transmission. Cloth more like 20%.

Shop workers are not trained to deal with very aggressive members of the public, of course they don't challenge anyone for not wearing a mask. They also cannot ask why someone might be exempt, there is usually a staff member standing by the doors handing out disposable masks in my two local sainsburys but I wouldn't expect them to put their safety at risk by challenging those who don't take them. So no it doesn't really mean anything but there will always be vulnerable members of the public (and among their staff) who will need to be extra careful as the restrictions are lifted and the shops are one place where people tend to get quite close to you and it can be crowded.

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.

1,500 fines in the last three weeks of December? That must be an absolutely minuscule % of TfL’s customers in that week. I did a quick search and several million people use the tube alone each day, even during covid. So I don’t think it’s wrong to say mask wearing isn’t heavily policed.

I prefer it this way rather than government mandate. Shops can decide themselves and I do suspect come Feb time and Spring fewer and fewer people will choose to wear them and it’ll tail off.
Re. Tubes and tfl, I am literally on the tube right now and 90% mask wearing I would say. It’s mostly young construction workers who aren’t but they never did last week either

@MrsLargeEmbodied

and waitrose

dm will be smug pleased

Waitrose are encouraging but saying it's down to personal choice, which is pretty much what most shops will be doing

To protect staff, as is their right

How would you suggest it's enforced?

Presumably by refusing entry to those without masks. I'm don't know what they did last time however, I'm not in England.

I am happy to continue to wear a mask. My choice. But now sure how any shop can impose this, when the majority of their staff haven’t been wearing them for ages!

@TheKeatingFive

How would you suggest it's enforced?

Presumably by refusing entry to those without masks. I'm don't know what they did last time however, I'm not in England.

As far as I know none of the large chain shops or supermarkets enforced this, just a few small independent shops where very few shop anyway

@TheKeatingFive

How would you suggest it's enforced?

Presumably by refusing entry to those without masks. I'm don't know what they did last time however, I'm not in England.

No. That's never happened

They don't want staff absence?
They want to make their customers more secure?

Why does it matter? If you don’t agree with the policy then don’t shop there.

Also....once in store way too many people are pulling masks down so there nose is out, and many just pull it under chins completely

What's the point?

Its just to say we are doing something, without actually doing something, it's pure PR and has no meaning.

@BoredZelda

Why does it matter? If you don’t agree with the policy then don’t shop there.

I like Sainsbury's food, that's why.

Is this a joke?

I like Sainsbury's food, that's why.

Don't worry they won't stop you going in maskless at all, it didn't happen in the summer and won't now.

Because they have decided that on balance they will get more customers and profits if they mandate mask wearing than if not.