MASKS and social distancing could disappear from supermarkets in the next two weeks as Covid restrictions are axed.
But so far customers have been left in the dark about whether UK supermarkets are planning to scrap the rules.
1
Brits currently face a fine of up to £6,400 for not wearing a mask in shops, but this legal obligation will be dropped from June 19.
Social distancing will not be required either, meaning supermarkets won’t legally have to restrict the number of customers in stores.
This means queues outside shops, traffic light systems at the door and one way systems could be a thing of the past.
However, individual businesses can make their own decision about whether to continue to enforce mask wearing and other Covid rules.
In an statement outlining the next phase of the road map out of lockdown, the Prime Minister last night said firms can continue to require masks to be warn indoors.
It is still recommended that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded spaces.
Supermarkets are hedging their bets before announcing exactly what rules they will enforce from July 19.
We will update this article with the latest announcements when we have more details.
It is likely that they will make announcements closer to “freedom day”, with a further update from Boris Johnson expected on July 12.
However, several major grocery chains said they are reviewing the latest guidance, suggesting they could be poised to remove the mask mandate.
Sainsbury’s has indicated that it will let individual staff and customers decide whether to wear a mask.
Chief executive Simon Roberts said: “We’re clearly going to follow the Government advice, we’ll continue to listen to our customers and colleagues and we’ll respect and support the individual choices [they] want to make.”
In a statement the supermarket told The Sun that it is “reviewing the latest guidance and will keep customers and colleagues updated on our plans”.
Lidl has also confirmed that it is “closely following government guidance”.
“We are closely following government guidance regarding Covid-19 secure measures in our stores and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.”
Morrisons said it is waiting for further government guidance before updating customers on what the rules will be after July 19.
“We will then review them and update our policy accordingly,” a spokesperson said.
Supermarket shelves could be empty in weeks after 100,000 HGV drivers are lost due to disruptions from Covid and Brexit.
This new supermarket comparison tool will tell you where to find cheapest groceries at shops including B&M, Aldi and Tesco.
Asda has launched a new one-hour delivery service to get groceries to your front door fast.
We test supermarket chicken nuggets including Aldi and M&S to see which ones are best
