Shoppers who aren’t wearing a mask will now be denied entry to supermarkets in Altrincham including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
All four retailers – as well as Morrisons – have announced they will ban shoppers who refuse to wear face coverings, unless they are medically exempt.
With the infection rate spreading across Trafford and the UK, retailers have been criticised for not doing enough to stop people breaking Covid rules.
Enforcement of face coverings is officially a police responsibility, but supermarkets can deny entry to their premises as it is private property.
Tesco, which has two stores in Altrincham, said today it had decided to strengthen its policies.
A spokesperson said: “To protect our customers and colleagues, we won’t let anyone into our stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are exempt in line with government guidance.
“We are also asking our customers to shop alone, unless they’re a carer or with children. To support our colleagues, we will have additional security in stores to help manage this.”
A spokesman for Asda, which has a store in Broadheath, said it will continue to offer customers a mask free of charge if they need one.
But he added: “Should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so, our security colleagues will refuse their entry.”
