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Businesses in England that will still restrict entry (via face masks) after July 19th

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Failed Unit

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One thing that I see as a recipe for problems next week is I have not seen many businesses saying if they will remove / keep the face mask requirements next week. This thread is for listing business that will still deny entry to people not wearing face masks (so I can avoid them)

eurostar
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Most Airlines are saying yes you are not welcome if you can’t wear a mask.

But what shops / chains have openly said they want to continue to make people with medical exceptions feel uncomfortable entering them?
 
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bramling

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One thing that I see as a recipe for problems next week is I have not seen many businesses saying if they will remove / keep the face mask requirements next week. This thread is for listing business that will still deny entry to people not wearing face masks (so I can avoid them)

eurostar
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Most Airlines are saying yes you are not welcome if you can’t wear a mask.

But what shops / chains have openly said they want to continue to make people with medical exceptions feel uncomfortable entering them?

We visited an attraction yesterday; half of it closed off (“in order to reduce the time people spend on site”, whatever benefit that achieves!). They stated they won’t be making any changes on the 19th, including masks, instead waiting until things have “properly settled down”.
 

Failed Unit

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That is my fear. I could go to Tesco’s on Monday expecting I can just get what I need, then get turned away at the door (or go through the I am exempt- why - you are not allowed to ask conversation) as I have seen anything from a chain that size officially.
 
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D&G Bus
The Murderers pub in Norwich is requiring proof of at least one vaccine, no mention anywhere of what families with children do or perhaps those who cannot take the vaccine.
 

island

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I am fully prepared, if asked by shop staff to wear a face covering from Monday, to reply “no, I’ll shop elsewhere” and walk out the door.

I view this as essential; whilst shop floor staff might not have designed the policies and might not have much influence over them, they need to hear this from customers so that they can feed it up the chain that business is suffering as a consequence of applying wrong-headed rules.

We’ll see how long it lasts.
 

Failed Unit

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Just done a quick google on the supermarkets, only Sainsbury's is safe (as in they will let us decide). Others are either unsure or asking the government for clarifications - I know this is not unusual but still concerning with 5 days to go.

Looking at a newspaper website, the majority of large chains have not responded to their requests about their policies going forward.
 

STINT47

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Waterstones reporting to be continuing the charade

Waterstones have said on Twitter that they will be encouraging customer to use facemasks. Presumably you can politely refuse and still use the shop.

If not I will politely leave and buy online from Amazon. Not my preferred option but if wearing a mask is our choice now then a business should honour that
 

MattA7

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Timpsons shoe repair and key cutting has said that masks wearing will be a personal choice after the 19th
 

Freightmaster

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Just done a quick google on the supermarkets, only Sainsbury's is safe (as in they will let us decide). Others are either unsure or asking the government for clarifications - I know this is not unusual but still concerning with 5 days to go.
Mrs Freightmaster works in a supermarket and asked the store manager yesterday what would be happening
next Monday and he said he had no idea as he hadn't had any clarification from head office yet... :rolleyes:

Why are the supermarkets acting like they have been caught unawares by the Government's decision to remove
the legal requirements for masks in shops when it was strongly rumoured/leaked for at least a week before being
announced this Monday?

It staggers me that major customer facing businesses like supermarkets didn't decide on a plan months ago
for what they were going to do when the legal mask mandate was eventually relaxed...




MARK
 

Bishopstone

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It staggers me that major customer facing businesses like supermarkets didn't decide on a plan months ago
for what they were going to do when the legal mask mandate was eventually relaxed...

Months ago, businesses could reasonably have assumed that when the legal mask mandate was lifted, Covid cases would be low and falling; hospitalisations low and falling; the number of their impacted staff low and falling, and that public opinion would be squarely behind ditching masks.

That is not the situation we are now in, so businesses are listening to customers, staff and the Government’s ever-changing mood music, and re-planning accordingly.
 

davews

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Our Tesco have already removed the big 'no mask no entry' signs outside the store. Whether that means anything for next week I don't know.
 

johntea

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Not sure if mentioned yet but West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Babin has stuck her nose in and will be enforcing the wearing of masks at all West Yorkshire bus stations (Batley, Bradford Interchange, Brighouse, Castleford, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley, Leeds, Ossett, Pudsey and Pontefract)...somehow...
 

Grecian 1998

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It is quite possible the big supermarkets have decided on their individual policies but don't want to reveal them until the last minute, due to the opprobrium it will attract from those who don't like whatever the decision is. Given how the news is at the moment, I couldn't blame anyone for that strategy.
 
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Surprisingly, given their poor attitude towards those with exemptions, Sanders Coaches will no longer require masks.
The new messaging is just as divisive however...


Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that from Monday 19th July 2021, the wearing of face masks on Public Transport will no longer be a legal requirement. We hope that our passengers will " SHOW YOU CARE" and continue to wear a face covering whilst you travel with us. There are many vulnerable people for whom our services are a lifeline and we hope that you will help to reduce their anxiety and stress by continueing to wear a face covering whilst travelling with us.

We thank you in anticipation of your co operation with our " Show You Care." campaign.
For reference with regards to exemptions, all their buses have a notice up saying something along the lines of "if you are exempt please consider wearing your mask for the 10-15 seconds it takes to buy your ticket, I'm sure we can all cope with that!"
 

Ianno87

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I am fully prepared, if asked by shop staff to wear a face covering from Monday, to reply “no, I’ll shop elsewhere” and walk out the door.

I view this as essential; whilst shop floor staff might not have designed the policies and might not have much influence over them, they need to hear this from customers so that they can feed it up the chain that business is suffering as a consequence of applying wrong-headed rules.

We’ll see how long it lasts.

Given that 80% of folk will probably just carry on shopping regardless and not make a fuss, you may be waiting a while.
 

Failed Unit

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Waterstones have said on Twitter that they will be encouraging customer to use facemasks. Presumably you can politely refuse and still use the shop.

If not I will politely leave and buy online from Amazon. Not my preferred option but if wearing a mask is our choice now then a business should honour that
I have seen the normal "I am an ICU nurse, this policy is irresponsible, I will use Amazon" on twitter in response.
 

Failed Unit

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For reference with regards to exemptions, all their buses have a notice up saying something along the lines of "if you are exempt please consider wearing your mask for the 10-15 seconds it takes to buy your ticket, I'm sure we can all cope with that!"
That is the kind of message that should get them up in court for discrimination. Would they tell a wheelchair user - get out your wheelchair while you board the bus I am sure you can cope with this. It shows total contempt to people with exemptions that it the whole issue with this in the first place. It seems to be legalized discrimination. I saw a shop recently with a notice on their doors, "mask on, no exemptions, no exceptions". They wouldn't dream of putting up a sign on the do no disabled. Even worse they get support for this stance from certain people.

So, according to this forum, absolutely nobody will be in shops come Monday?
I didn't say that - it was just the kind of illogical response you get. I will go to any shop that lets me in without wearing a mask. Others will take the opposite view. But hopefully the ones that discriminate against people with health conditions go bankrupt quickly.
 
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Grecian 1998

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Waterstones have said on Twitter that they will be encouraging customer to use facemasks. Presumably you can politely refuse and still use the shop.

If not I will politely leave and buy online from Amazon. Not my preferred option but if wearing a mask is our choice now then a business should honour that

This BBC article suggests the encouragement will be limited to putting up signs and that staff won't be enforcing it. It also suggests that if anyone is unhappy that someone is not wearing a mask, they should simply move away from them.

Waterstones says it will encourage its customers to continue wearing face coverings in its stores after they cease to be compulsory after 19 July.
It is one of the first major chains to state a firm policy on mask wearing.
Businesses are weighing up what approach to take once Covid measures become a matter for them to decide.
 
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STINT47

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This BBC article suggests the encouragement will be limited to putting up signs and that staff won't be enforcing it. It also suggests that if anyone is unhappy that someone is not wearing a mask, they should simply move away from them.


This all sounds like a muddled mess. It's not clear what is required and every business will decide it's own policy.

Clear guidance either way was needed instead we have mixed messages that will annoy everyone and cause conflict
 

Class 33

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Sainsbury's to "encourage" masks after 19th July! I thought someone on here mentioned that they would be supportive of customers not wearing masks? Seems they've backtracked on this a bit!

Signs and tannoy messages continuing in store! Fed up those bloomin' signs(with the cartoon heads wearing masks!) and tannoy messages about face masks! Possibly still loads of people still wearing face masks in there!(or maybe not!) Might have to stop shopping in there I think!

Sainsbury's to encourage masks in stores after 19 July

The supermarket chain says it will encourage shoppers to keep on wearing face coverings from Monday, when legal restrictions are lifted.

In a statement today, Sainsbury's said signs and tannoy messages would encourage customers to continue using masks.

Employees will also be encouraged to wear one unless they are behind a screen.

Chief executive Simon Roberts said: "Our colleagues' safety is vital and many of our colleagues would feel more comfortable if those who can wear face coverings continue to wear them.

"We've listened closely to our customers too and they are telling us the same."
 

Failed Unit

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Sainsbury's to "encourage" masks after 19th July! I thought someone on here mentioned that they would be supportive of customers not wearing masks? Seems they've backtracked on this a bit!

Signs and tannoy messages continuing in store! Fed up those bloomin' signs(with the cartoon heads wearing masks!) and tannoy messages about face masks! Possibly still loads of people still wearing face masks in there!(or maybe not!) Might have to stop shopping in there I think!
They can encourage all they like.

At least now if anyone challenges me I can say it is not illegal rather then I am exempt.

I suspect/ hope this is the beginning of the end as more people volunteer to stop wearing them and the world notices it doesn’t make any difference anyway.
 
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The staff in my nearest Sainsburys Local are a friendly bunch, so if they wanted me to continue to wear a mask for the couple of minutes I'm in there, I would. Although not if none of the other customers were.

As for Greater Manchester's toy train set (aka Metrolink), the next time I have a choice of catching a bus or tram to complete my journey, it will definitely be bus (it usually is anyway). Hopefully the next time Andy Burnham goes begging the Government for money to bailout his taxpayer funded money pit transport system, they'll reject it for not following Government guidelines.
 

big_rig

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They can encourage all they like.

At least now if anyone challenges me I can say it is not illegal rather then I am exempt.

I suspect/ hope this is the beginning of the end as more people volunteer to stop wearing them and the world notices it doesn’t make any difference anyway.
Yep! Encourage is fine. It is the minimum message any large business with a social media account will need to say they are doing to avoid the ire of the blue heart / EU flag emoji braying mob over the next few days. They can then happily ramp down their encouragement over time and everybody should be happy.
 

trebor79

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This all sounds like a muddled mess. It's not clear what is required and every business will decide it's own policy.

Clear guidance either way was needed instead we have mixed messages that will annoy everyone and cause conflict
Regardless of whatever the business decides, it's not muddled at all. There will be no legal requirement to wear a mask. They can ask you politely (and I think that will be largely limited to posters) and you can politely refuse.
I will not be wearing a mask anywhere.
 
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