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Wales Online
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Cathy Owen

Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Morrisons rules on masks in full

Many Covid restrictions in both England and Wales have been relaxed.

In England, relaxations have gone much further, where face coverings are no longer legally required anywhere. That is not the case in Wales, where masks are still required by law in certain places, unless you are exempt. These are shops, hospitals and public transport .

But despite it no longer being a law to wear masks in England, a number of the biggest supermarket chains have asked staff and customers to keep wearing them. This is a guide to what all the supermarkets have said, to help you make your decision wherever you shop.

Asda's position on face masks

Asda has said it would be "following government guidance" and not be asking customers and staff to wear masks in England, but would be encouraging people who wish to wear a mask to keep doing so. In Wales, you still need to wear a mask in Asda, unless you are exempt.

Aldi's position on face masks

Aldi has said face masks are now a "personal choice" in England when shopping in-store, but perspex screens and sanitising stations will remain in use. In Wales, you still need to wear a mask in Aldi, unless you are exempt.

What has Lidl said on face masks?

Lidl says now face masks are no longer a legal requirement in England it would "have signage in place" remind customers that "the government recommends that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces". Staff will be allowed to individually decide if they wish to keep wearing a mask. You must still wear a mask in Wales.

Morrison's face mask rules

Morrison's has confirmed it will be following government guidance on masks, which means they will not be compulsory in stores in England. They will in Wales.

Sainsbury's face mask rules

Sainsbury's says safety is its "highest priority" and that it would ask customers and staff in England to "continue to wear a face covering in our stores if they are able to". It will use poster campaigns and Tannoy announcements to get the message across.

"In Scotland and Wales face coverings remain mandatory for those who can wear them in our stores, in line with the latest government restrictions," the supermarket says. "We continue to have a range of safety measures in all of our stores, including screens and sanitising stations."

What about masks in Tesco?

Tesco said that it would continue to "follow government guidance to ensure the safety of our customers and colleagues" and would encourage customers to still wear a mask.

"From 27 January in England, to be on the safe side, we'll be encouraging our colleagues to continue to wear face coverings whilst they work and encouraging our customers to do the same when they shop with us, " a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, John Lewis said it would be "suggesting people wear masks" in its department stores and Waitrose shops from Thursday, but added: "It will be down to individuals to make a personal choice."

Masks are also no longer needed on public transport in England, but London mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed face masks will remain mandatory on all Transport for London services, including the Tube.

Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said it was "deeply disappointing" the government had ended mandatory face coverings in shops in England when "case numbers remain high".

Sara Jones of the Welsh Retail Consortium said: "Whilst we see the easing of restriction in many areas it is still a legal requirement to wear face coverings in retail settings. Our retailers take their responsibilities to support the public health agenda very seriously and we will continue to encourage customers and staff on the wearing of face coverings.

"Many of the safety measures which we’ve invested so heavily in will remain, such as perspex screens and sanitising stations, and we encourage all shoppers to play their part in the continued downward spiral in covid cases by complying with the measures in place."

When could law on face masks end in Wales?

First Minister Mark Drakeford has said that the rules around face coverings would be one of the topics explored at the next three-weekly review on February 10.

He told BBC Radio Wales on Friday (January 28): "We will review the few remaining protections on February 10. Nobody wants anything left in place any longer than is proportionate to the risk from coronavirus.

"All the public opinion tests that we have carried out, through the whole of the pandemic, continue to show that for every person in Wales who thinks we have been too slow in lifting restrictions, there are two people who are anxious that we are going too quickly."

He added: "We are balancing the risks, we are thinking all the different components of the Welsh population and we will now review the remaining protections on a three-weekly basis. As soon as we are confident it is safe to do so, we will be moving ahead on those things too."

The wearing of face coverings in public indoor settings and on public transport, as well as working from home whenever possible, also remain in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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