Call for shoppers in Harrogate not to abuse staff if asked to wear masks
With mandatory mask wearing in shops and on public transport, some concerns have been raised about abuse of staff.
Last updated 2nd Dec 2021
Shop workers in Harrogate are worried they could be faced with more abuse now masks have been made compulsory again.
The new rule came in earlier this week and staff are asking the public to be patient and not confrontational if asked to wear one while in supermarkets.
The USDAW union (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) found in 2020 that 88% of shop workers surveyed experienced verbal abuse; 60% were threatened by a customer and 9% were assaulted.
Bernadette Strickland, manager at a Harrogate Co-Op, has predicted that the abuse they faced the last time face masks were brought in will happen again.
She said:
"We did get a lot of backlash last time. All we kept hearing was 'I'm exempt' but because we can't ask why they're exempt or for any proof we can't do anything about it. Staff are wanting to say something but it's policy not to but that's only because we will get abused if we do. I've witnessed it myself; staff getting shouted at just for asking politely. We don't come to work for that.
"We've also got two vulnerable people who are working here and they're scared to leave from behind the till as that's the only place in store with a screen. I've seen a customer and a member of staff arguing across the shop floor because they asked him to put a mask on. He was arguing that it was his local shop and he didn't need to, but she said 'well this is where I work and I should be able to feel safe while I'm at work'.
"We have a lot of older people who come into our store who will wear a mask but because the shop is near a school we get lots of schools kids and they're bad for arguing back saying they're exempt or they haven't got one but we know they have because they have to wear one in school now."
This new guidance has brought England in line with other nations in the UK regarding face coverings.
It is the first time in several months that face masks are being made compulsory in England since the order was lifted in July.