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Three Quarters Of People Think Face Masks Should Be Mandatory In UK Shops

Three Quarters Of People Think Face Masks Should Be Mandatory In UK Shops

Scotland has announced face coverings will be compulsory in shops from 10 July

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

Three quarters of people think face masks should be mandatory in shops across the UK, a poll has found.

Three quarters of people think face masks should be mandatory in shops across the UK.
PA

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday (Thursday 2 July) that face coverings will become compulsory in all shops from 10 July, however, the same rules are not in place across the rest of the UK.

But a LADbible poll of 13,475 people found that 74.9 percent of voters thought masks should be made compulsory across the rest of the UK.

Scotland's move is in line with much of Europe and police in the country will have the power to administer £60 ($74.72) fines to those who do not abide by the laws.

Announcing the rules, Sturgeon said: "We have proceeded for a period with a voluntary approach to this.

"Some people are complying and some are not, I'm not pointing fingers or trying to blame people for that but we have to make a judgement if we're heading into a period where more people are interacting.

"And we've been having a discussion with more sectors like retail about reducing distancing, and that increases the importance of mitigations like face coverings."

In England, it is only mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport, but Boris Johnson has come under pressure to follow Sturgeon's lead.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "This is the right move by Nicola Sturgeon. The evidence in support of wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces is clear - we need them to be mandatory in England too.

"Londoners: wearing a face covering in shops will protect others and help slow the spread."

However, not everyone backs the move. Head of public affairs at the Scottish Grocers Federation, Dr John Lee, slammed the measures, claiming they will put shop workers under undue pressure.

He said: "The reality is that it is staff on the shop floor - or at the front door - who are on the front-line with this. Before the police are alerted, staff will have to make the initial challenge to customers who are not complying.

"They will either have to try to prevent a customer entering or ask a customer already in the store to replace their face covering. The main problem is that, in the time is takes for police to respond, it is staff who will have to deal with any abuse from difficult customers - putting them under significant stress."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus, Face Masks