Chesterfield shopkeepers react to mandatory face masks rule

All shoppers will have to wear a face covering when making a trip to the supermarket or high street after the Government announced new legislation to make them mandatory in England.

Shop owners and staff in Chesterfield have reacted positively to the development and hope it will encourage people to start visiting the high street again with more confidence.

MORE: These were Derbyshire's top 10 hotspots for Covid-19 cases throughout pandemic

Emily Lord, who re-opened well-known town store Fred’s Haberdashery earlier this year, says it should have happened sooner.

“My assistants and I have been wearing masks since we reopened in June,” she said.

"We felt very strongly that we didn't want to be responsible for inadvertently passing the virus on to any of our customers.

"Many of our customers have also been choosing to wear masks and we are grateful to them for doing so.

MORE: Why Chesterfield town centre road closures could result in 'hefty fines' from Ravenside Retail Park

"We must all do our best to look after each other and wearing a mask along with following social distancing guidelines seems a sensible, effective precaution.”

James Pogson, a director at Chesterfield’s Northern Tea Merchants, said he also welcomed the move.

"I want my staff to be as safe as they possibly can be while they are at work, and good service isn’t hampered by a face mask, apart from the smile,” he said.

"I have worn one myself when having a haircut and also when I have visited the supermarket, and apart from my glasses steaming up, I felt safer myself, and also that I was posing less of a potential risk to the staff who are bravely working in these busy environments.”

Brian Quinney, of Quinney's Pet Supplies, said he was happy to embrace any measure which ‘helps keep everyone safe while enjoying the shopping experience’.

The new rule will be enforced by police, who have the power to fine people if they don’t have a good reason for going without a face covering in shops.

£100 penalties will be in place for those who refuse. This will reduce to £50 if paid within 14 days.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor