Shopping centre boss provides reassurances over mask-wearing policy

GOLDEN Square Shopping Centre boss Ian Cox has provided reassurances on the policy of mask-wearing within the mall following concerns from some members of the public about the number of shoppers seen not wearing masks.

Warrington-Worldwide has been contacted this week by concerned members of the public, who say they have seen many people within the mall not wearing masks and raised concerns due to the increasing COVID-19 infection rates within the town, which are currently more than double the national average.

Centre Director Mr Cox said: “Our stance within Golden Square has not changed at all on this and falls in line with government guidance.

“Premises, where face coverings are required, should take reasonable steps to promote compliance with the law.
The police can take measures if members of the public do not comply with this law without a valid exemption and transport operators can deny access to their public transport services if a passenger is not wearing a face covering, or direct them to wear one or leave a service.”

“Our role in this is to ensure we take reasonable steps to promote compliance with the law. We do not have any police powers to enforce this law. Our steps include signage instructing face coverings to be worn at every entrance, designated one-way entrance/exits, stay left instructions, keep distance instructions, queuing procedures and of course hand sanitising stations throughout the mall. As well as this we have a radio message that plays every 13 minutes reminding people to wear face coverings and keep a safe distance. We have increased our cleaning regimes accordingly and ensured our public toilets adhere to social distancing too. I believe this is above and beyond the reasonable steps required of us, and indeed is quite clear throughout all areas of the mall.
“Aside from not being authorised to enforce police powers we also have to remember the list of exemptions to face coverings highlighted by the government guidelines.”
When you do not need to wear a face-covering?

In settings where face coverings are required in England, there are some circumstances where people may not be able to wear a face covering. Please be mindful and respectful of such circumstances, noting that some people are less able to wear face coverings, and that the reasons for this may not be visible to others.
This includes (but is not limited to):
· children under the age of 11 (Public Health England do not recommended face coverings for children under the age of 3 for health and safety reasons)
· people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability employees of indoor settings (or people acting on their behalf, such as someone leading part of a prayer service) or transport workers. although employers may consider their use where appropriate and where other mitigations are not in place, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidelines
· police officers and other emergency workers, given that this may interfere with their ability to serve the public
· where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress
· if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip-reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate
· to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to yourself or others – including if it would negatively impact on your ability to exercise or participate in a strenuous activity”

Mr Cox added: “With this in mind it is not reasonable to expect my staff to stop every person on entry to Golden Square to ascertain if somebody is exempt through age, physical or mental impairment or any of the above. This could also lead to some very uncomfortable conversations for our customers or place my team in a position of potential conflict.
“The safety of our team, our customers and retailers is always our first priority.”