Heathrow and some hospitality in England to retain masks after 19 July | Hospitality industry
Heathrow, the Gaucho restaurant chain and the City Pub Group are poised to continue with mask-wearing rules despite government plans to sweep away most safety measures from 19 July.
Boris Johnson indicated on Monday that mask wearing would become largely a matter of personal choice later this month, when the government removes legally enforceable rules on face coverings in public settings including shops, restaurants, bars, workplaces and public transport.
While many major retailers and hospitality businesses said they were awaiting the detailed guidance from the government on 12 July and consulting staff before finalising their policy, some said they would persist with face coverings irrespective of the official rules.
Martin Williams, the head of Rare Restaurants, which owns the 16-strong Gaucho chain and three M restaurants, said that its staff would continue to wear masks. It also plans to keep 1 metre distances between tables and ask guests to wear masks when not at their tables, as most of its workers were in their 20s, had only had one vaccination and so were nervous about working without protective measures.
Williams said: “Whilst we welcome the lifting of enforced restrictions for the sector, at Gaucho and M we will continue to implement most of our Covid-secure policies, to ensure that both our guests and our people can feel safe and fully relax in our venues and enjoy the world class hospitality for which we are famed.”
Clive Watson, the chief executive of the City Pub Group, which has 45 pubs across the southern half of England and Wales, also said masks will be encouraged after 19 July and as much table service as possible will continue to avoid customers crowding for orders at the bar.
Heathrow is understood to be reviewing its policy but is also expected to keep mask wearing mandatory.
Unions raised concerns that workers would be vulnerable to infection if the general public ceased to wear masks in crowded indoor settings, and would potentially face anger from customers who disagree on the use of protective measures.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said ministers should consult unions and employers before finalising changes to the guidance.
“The government has to take the lead – not wash its hands of its responsibility to keep workers and the public safe.”
Shopworkers’ union Usdaw urged shoppers to continue wearing face coverings in stores beyond 19 July to ensure safety and said employers should keep protective measures, such as screens in front of tills, in place.
Paddy Lillis, the general secretary of Usdaw, said: “Retail staff are working with the public every day and are deeply worried about catching Covid-19. This is not the right time to water down safety in stores and the government should not be removing the requirements of face coverings and distancing in busy public areas such as shops.
Lillis’s comments came after Bobby Morton, the head of trade union Unite’s passenger transport division, said that ending the requirement to wear masks on public transport would be “an act of gross negligence by the government”, as rates of infection continue to increase.
The two biggest budget airlines, easyJet and Ryanair, have said they would follow the advice and guidance of European health authorities and continue to enforce mask-wearing on flights regardless of domestic rules.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, also indicated support for continued mask wearing on London’s transport network. He tweeted: “The wearing of face coverings on public transport helps reduce the spread of Covid, and crucially gives Londoners confidence to travel – which is vital to our economic recovery.”
However major retailers appear prepared to follow government guidance on allowing shoppers to choose whether to wear masks or not.
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Simon Roberts, the boss of Sainsbury’s, said that the company was reviewing its plans for 19 July but said any decision will be “driven by customer and colleague choice”.
Retail industry insiders said that despite wanting to follow the guidance, there were concerns about raised infection rates and confusion or anger among staff and customers, some of whom would want to continue wearing a face covering while others would happily throw them off.
There are also worries that the lack of clear government guidelines could lead to aggression against shop workers, particularly if policies on mask wearing differed between businesses.
The Association of Convenience Stores called on the government to give more clarity to business operators and the public. “Our members will be faced with a group of customers who are uneasy about the lack of restrictions, and a group who are eager to move on from social distancing. We cannot support everyone without government messaging that customers should respect business’s policies. The tensions in government messaging will play out not in the corridors of government departments but on trains and buses and in the aisles of shops.”
Source: theguardian.com