Face coverings to be mandatory in stores in Wales

First minister Mark Drakeford revealed that from Monday (14 September) it will become compulsory for people over 11-years-old to wear a face covering in public indoor spaces. He said: “There will be signage, there will be policing, but policing is the last resort. What we want to do is educate, inform, persuade.”

Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed today’s announcement and is urging the public to comply and respect shop workers.

Nick Ireland, Usdaw divisional officer, said: “We have been lobbying for this for some time as a way of helping to limit the spread of Covid-19 and protect retail staff. We encourage customers to support shop workers by remembering to wear a face covering, unless they are covered by an exemption.We expect employers to display signage to remind customers about the rules. It needs to be made clear that shop workers are not responsible for enforcing the law. We are concerned that it may be another flashpoint for abuse of staff, which has doubled during the pandemic.

“Face coverings are not a replacement for existing social distancing measures, such as screens at tills, distance markers, hygiene measures and limits on the number of customers in stores. We expect employers to keep these in place and support our members in making sure that customers follow the rules.”

Ben Francis, Federation of Small Businesses Wales policy chair, added: “While some shoppers may still be nervous, small firms will be hoping that these new measures will inject new confidence into customers and get them back into town centres and high streets across Wales.”