It’s hard to remember a time when face masks weren’t part of the daily news cycle. This week, we’ve been treated to several stories on the inexplicably contentious politics of covering your face.

Most notably, Donald Trump whipped up a media storm by removing his surgical mask to pose for pictures, shortly after being admitted to hospital for coronavirus. At the same time, a less high-profile story unfolded for the UK supermarkets, as one local council lambasted stores for allowing shoppers to enter without masks.

According to a report by The Guardian, Barking & Dagenham Council issued Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Morrisons and B&M Stores with enforcement notices after their staff were seen failing to enforce mask-wearing and social distancing. But it turns out they didn’t have the power to do so – at least according to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy, which called on the council “to refrain from taking any further action”.

The confusion is understandable. After all, the government says supermarkets – along with other premises where masks are required – should take “reasonable steps to promote compliance with the law”. Asking shoppers to wear masks before entering the store seems a reasonable step.

 

The shopworker abuse epidemic: what can be done to stop it?

 

But the article failed to point out a key issue here: staff abuse. Violence and verbal threats against shopworkers have rocketed since the pandemic hit, and asking people to comply with Covid-19 measures has proven a flashpoint. That’s according to Usdaw, which conducted a survey of 5,000 shopworker members in March and April. Of those members, 3,069 were on the end of verbal abuse, 1,426 were threatened and 196 were physically assaulted.

For that reason, Usdaw is keen to ensure shopworkers don’t become the “mask police”. So it’s understandable – at a time when Co-op and Central England Co-op have given their staff bodycams due to safety concerns – that supermarkets don’t want to ask their staff to become enforcers, either.

Plus, let’s not forget that supermarket staff don’t have the power to hand out fines in the same way as police officers. At the same time, there is no specific offence for abusing shopworkers – something industry leaders are looking to change. All of which adds up to a vulnerable position.

So unless that changes, shopworkers shouldn’t be blamed for customers refusing to wear masks. As Donald Trump’s example proved, the balance of power is crucial in these situations. After all, would photographers at the White House have dared ask the US president to mask up?

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