Brighton retailers prepare for mandatory face mask rule

From July 24, customers in all stores and supermarkets in England must wear a mask or face covering while browsing.

The Government is introducing the rule to curb the spread of coronavirus, after “growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them”, a Number 10 spokesman said.

Soly Daneshmand and Tim Price, co-owners of Ju-Ju clothes shop in Gloucester Road, Brighton, are concerned mandatory face coverings will hinder communication further as they already have a screen up at their till.

READ MORE: ASDA UPDATES SHOPPING RULES INCLUDING FACE MASKS

Tim said: “If people are in a mask and they are on the other side of a screen it can be hard to hear them and I’m no spring chicken.

“It’s also not terribly clear what our responsibilities are.

“At the end of the day we will do whatever is advised and it’s better our business is open than not.”

Tim Price and Soly Daneshmand, co-owners of Juju

Jade Hughes, who co-owns Blackout in Kensington Place, is worried about traders’ responsibilities for ensuring customers comply.

She said: “It’s a difficult one as we may have to become policemen without any back-up.

“It’s a very woolly area. The Government has advised that people must sanitise their hands but sometimes people don’t see it or they can’t use it for health reasons – we’ve had people with dermatitis, for example.

“It’s also hard when you can’t smile at people and half the communication is lost wearing a mask, but if it’s going to help people, it’s what we have to do.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said anyone failing to comply could face a fine of up to £100. Children under 11 and people with certain disabilities will be exempt.

Shop workers will be expected to encourage compliance but enforcement will be the responsibility of the police, as is the case with the rule for face coverings on public transport.

Mr Hancock said shop staff can refuse entry to anyone without a face covering and urged them to call police if anyone refuses to comply.

Argus readers are divided over the rule.

Louise Creffield is chief of the Brighton wing of Save Our Rights UK, a group which has previously staged protests against the lockdown. The 34-year-old said the public should “absolutely not” have to wear masks in shops and said the rule is “completely obsolete”.

She said: “It’s just pointless as the science doesn’t support it.

“The World Health Organisation has said from the beginning that a ‘contact’ from which you may be at risk of catching Covid-19 is someone who you are within one metre of for more than 15 minutes.

“There is no evidence of transient transmission, unless someone happens to sneeze directly into your mouth. But if you have it, you shouldn’t be out anyway.

“One of the things I find really disturbing about all this is the division it leads to – it just creates an abusive atmosphere.

“It’s creating discrimination against disabled people and causing anxiety.”

Reader Martin Boyle believes people should not be “forced” and said: “Wearing a mask in the hope of stopping the virus from passing through is like trying to stop flies by putting up chicken wire.”

But another reader who wished to remain anonymous said: "Why is this still a debate? Wear a face covering in any enclosed space if possible."