Customers will be refused entry to Morrisons stores in Scotland if they do not wear a face covering.
The supermarket giant is tightening their instore coronavirus restrictions with customers being denied access without the correct PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) unless they are medically exempt.
The new rules are effective from today as Scotland enters into the second week of lockdown measures.
Morrisons said it had “introduced and consistently maintained thorough and robust safety measures in all our stores” since the start of the pandemic.
But the firm added: “From today we are further strengthening our policy on masks.”
Staff have been offering customers face masks at the front of all stores in case they have forgotten their own.
Morrisons chief executive David Potts said: “Those who are offered a face covering and decline to wear one won’t be allowed to shop at Morrisons unless they are medically exempt.
“Our store colleagues are working hard to feed you and your family, please be kind.”
Growing concerns
Shop workers’ union Usdaw is now calling for the immediate revert to stringent safety measures that were applied during the first lockdown.
The union’s general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “We are very concerned by reports that too many customers are not following necessary safety measures like social distancing, wearing a face covering and only shopping for essential items.
“Usdaw is urging the shopping public to strictly follow the rules to help make shops safer and limit the spread of Covid-19.
“The strict safety measures that we agreed with employers in the first lockdown must now be immediately reinstated in every workplace to ensure that staff are working in the safest conditions possible.”
The union has suggested limiting the number of customers in a store at one time and the introduction of a “one in one out” policy with proper queuing systems.
Exemptions
Face coverings in supermarkets and other retailers was first introduced in March last year as part of the UK’s first national lockdown.
They included limits on the numbers of customers in the shops at any one time, protective plastic screens at tills and “marshals” to ensure shoppers were maintaining a two-metre distance.
The Scottish Government has listed a number of reasons why someone may be exempt from wearing a face covering these include those who have a learning disability, children under the age of five and people with respiratory problems.
Anyone who cannot apply a covering and wear it in the proper manner safely and consistently will also be exempt.