A Sheffield woman urged a local supermarket to remove the ‘wearing a face-covering is a personal choice’ sign outside of the store as it is now a fineable offence.
Sainsbury’s Local on High Street took down the sign early this morning, but it remained up for three days after the new law was enforced.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s responded after the tweet was noticed: “We’re updating signage across our stores in England to remind customers that they must wear a face covering unless they are exempt.
“Our CEO wrote to customers earlier this week to explain we were acting in light of the new requirements for customers. Rolling out updated signage is part of this and stores have worked as quickly as possible.”
Mask-wearing in England, in shops and on public transport, has become mandatory again for the first time since 30 November 2021.
The recommendation to wear a mask is based on scientific advice that it will prevent infecting others by dispersing airborne particles more widely.
Those who break the rules will receive a fixed penalty of £200 for the first offence. This drops to £100 if paid within 14 days.
Titania Krimpas, 50, a shopper with a facial covering in Sainsbury’s Local said: “‘mask wearing is the best protection from spreading or getting the virus.
“Face covering should be introduced to where people gather.”
“Don’t wait for the government to make this happen. They always do it too little and too late,” she added.
