Restrictions update in England

21/01/2022 09:29

The requirement to work from home if possible has been lifted. From Thursday 27 January, the legal requirement to wear a face covering in any location will be removed, including in charity shops. However, the Government suggest the continued use of face coverings in enclosed or crowded places where you are likely to meet people you don’t know.

Retailers will be able to opt to continue asking or requiring customers to wear face coverings subject to respecting any exemptions customers may have. However, the level of compliance will inevitably be reduced once the wearing of face coverings is no longer a legal requirement.

There may be a heightened risk of abuse from customers unhappy at being asked to wear a face covering when this is no longer a legal requirement. You might feel that retaining the current posters might be a good approach as you can still make a face coverings a condition of entry – the challenge is just that there is no practical way of enforcing it.