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The ministers have been accused of putting the street above public health after the business department warned council leaders not to enforce the use of masks in supermarkets.
The Barking and Dagenham council in East London issued warning notices to four retailers, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Morrisons and B&M, after their staff were found to be failing to enforce the wearing of masks and social distancing by the customers.
After the compliance notices were issued under the antisocial behavior legislation, it is understood that the stores have complained to the Department of Commercial, Business and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
A senior BEIS official later called the council and said it “had no powers to enforce these guidelines using the government’s Covid-19 emergency powers” and that “the action had caused a negative reaction from operators,” according to a letter. Board complaint to Alok Sharma, the business secretary.
The letter states that the BEIS official, who said he was acting on Sharma’s behalf, asked the council “to refrain from taking further action against the operations of Lidl, B&M, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons supermarkets.”
The wearing of masks in stores became mandatory in England from July 24, with fines for non-compliance. But supermarkets said they would not be responsible for enforcing the law, despite calls from police representatives to expel shoppers who refuse.
Research last month showed that wearing masks in particular was causing social fractures. A survey of 10,000 people found that more than half of mask wearers in Britain (58%) had severely negative attitudes towards those who did not wear a mask.
Amid a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the UK, Boris Johnson said last week that the country had become “indifferent” to following restrictions designed to control the pandemic, and the lack of enforcement was partly to blame. .
Speaking to the BBC, the prime minister said: “Everyone became a bit complacent and a bit indifferent about the broadcast, and the rules on social distancing may not have been obeyed in the way they could have been or were done. fulfill the way they could have been. “
Her father, former MEP Stanley Johnson, has been photographed three times without a mask or with one tucked under the chin in places where face covering is required: in a London store, a tube station and a Greek airport.
Barking and Dagenham saw a 65% increase in coronavirus cases last week.
On September 24 and 25, law enforcement officials issued community protection advisory notices under the Police and Crimes Against Social Behavior Act 2014 to Lidl, Sainsburys, Morrisons stores and three branches of B&M.
Closure notices were issued to seven other establishments in the municipality, including clubs and bars, after council enforcement officers gathered evidence that they were not Covid compliant.
The council said it was using antisocial behavior legislation against retailers because Covid’s emergency legislation did not give it the powers to take such action.
The letter to Sharma, from council leader Darren Rodwell, said: “I am surprised that you seem to be siding with business interests over the health of our residents when they are clearly making no effort to adhere to the same guidelines as you entered. “
Meanwhile, a Cabinet Office official praised the council’s various anti-Covid initiatives, including the crackdown on large retailers. An email said they were working with colleagues at the National Resilience Center to support communication around the application of Covid-19 rules, adding: “I found some examples of the great work your council has been doing to finish with this”.
Rodwell said the council had received complaints from residents about large retailers not enforcing the rules on covering their faces and social distancing strongly enough. He praised some supermarkets, including Asda and Aldi, for taking law enforcement seriously.
His letter added: “The approach taken by the city council, under the 2014 law, is no different than any other premises in which people within a premises engage in criminal or antisocial activities, and the premises fail to reduce problem occurrence, or take a “soft touch” approach.
“I’ve heard a lot that it is not the role of a store worker to challenge the public and I sympathize with this. The council wrote similarly to Asda supermarket in early September, resulting in Asda taking positive action both locally and nationally, for which we are very grateful. “
He said the council would only expect trained and qualified security personnel to be responsible for denying entry to unmasked customers.
Rodwell told The Guardian: “It is important to put people before profit. A government official contacted us and asked us to stay away from this app. There are complaints from supermarkets that we were being too clumsy, but I think we were doing the right thing.
“I find it unpleasant that the government talks about using the army and is paying so much money to the private sector when local authorities can and are willing to help.”
A government spokesman said: “By law, people must cover their faces in shops and supermarkets in England. They can be fined if they don’t.
“Stores and supermarkets are required by law to inform customers to cover their faces, unless they have an exemption, through signs or when entering the premises. Local authorities enforce this and companies risk a fine if they fail to do so. If customers refuse, the business can go to the police if necessary. “
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Safety is our top priority. We closely follow government guidance and continue to remind customers to wear face covers if they can. We have regular tannoy announcements, greetings outside our grocery store, and posters, including those provided by the council. “
BEIS, Lidl, Morrisons and B&M Stores were contacted for comment.
