FACE MASKS: Who will bell the cat ?
Kudos to our two local supermarkets, Tesco and SuperValu, for the way they have quietly and efficiently adapted to the problems caused by COVID - 19 Staff in supermarkets should be thought of as frontline workers, playing an essential role in keeping the show on the road, and putting themselves right in the firing line day in day out. It is not unreasonable that they don ’ t want to take on the extra role of policing compliance with the mandatory wearing of face masks. The CEO of Convenience Stores and Newsagent ’ s Association, Vincent Jennings, has advised retailers not to engage with anyone not wearing a mask. He insisted that there are “ no circumstances ” in which a shop worker should tell a customer to wear a face covering. Retail Ireland ’ s Chief Executive Arnold Dillon also says that enforcement should be “ left to the appropriate authorities ”, adding that “ it is crucial that it does not fall to retail staff to ensure compliance ”. Someone should do something (but who?) On a recent visit to one of our two supermarkets, I counted 48 shoppers in the premises. 7 were not wearing face masks, and 2 more had them down around their chin. That worked out at a compliance rate of 78% which is a far cry from the “ almost total ” compliance claimed by the Minister for Justice. The minister kicks for touch when asked if the Gardai will enforce the law, and at the time this is being written, she is unaware of any prosecutions or charges being made. The simple fact is that no politician will want to appear on TV to talk about how someone who will no doubt portray themselves as a “ victim of oppression ” has been fined, or worse, imprisoned for non - compliance. And as long as that is the case, mask wearing will be effectively optional.
On our visit to the local supermarket, we were told by a member of staff that a dictat had come down “ from head office ” saying that they were to ignore anyone not wearing a mask, and under no circumstances were they to even mention it to the customer.
So we thought it would be helpful to contact both Tesco and SuperValu to see what their official policy was.
On 19th August, we emailed the head offices of both supermarkets, asking them to confirm their policy on enforcing the wearing of masks.
The reply received from SuperValu is printed below. Tesco did not reply.
Hi Liam,
Thank you for taking the time to get in contact with us.
It is mandatory to wear a face covering in - store, with the exception of people who are unable to wear them in line with Government guidance and children under 13.
If a customer was not wearing a face covering in store, it is because they are unable to wear them as per the conditions outlined in Government guidance. They would have confirmed this with a colleague before entering the store. The Government guidance can be viewed here https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/ aac74c - guidance - on - safe - use - of - face - coverings Should you have any queries please contact us by webchat on www.supervalu.ie, email at onlinehelp@supervalu.ie or by phone on 1890 456 828. Kind regards, Gearoid
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