CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 2nd JULY 2020

Face coverings to become mandatory in Scottish shops

The use of face coverings will become mandatory in shops in Scotland from 9 July as coronavirus restrictions are eased, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Non-essential shops have reopened in Scotland and bars and restaurants are due to open again later this month.
The first minister said the 2m physical distancing rule would be eased for some premises when the country enters the next phase of its route map on 10 July.
And she said face coverings would be mandatory in shops from that date.

Some are exempt from the rules including:
 Children under 11
 People with disabilities
 Those with breathing difficulties
 Anyone travelling with someone who relies on lip reading

Ms Sturgeon said shop staff would not be expected to enforce the rule, with the police instead mandated to issue fixed penalty notices to people not wearing face coverings.

Food Standards Scotland response to our question on whether this applies to shop staff in a food business

“The requirement for face coverings refers to the cloth type coverings which have been advised by the First Minister as being mandatory in shops for customers and staff.”

“With regard to food premises, there remains a requirement to maintain 2 metre Physical Distancing and the use of screens between customers and staff as appropriate.”
“Today's announcement is really focussed on customers however it was agreed that staff in shops open for business should also be required to wear them.”
“This was all developed with non-food retail or people working on the shop floor and checkouts at supermarkets in mind.”

“In order to recognise that many retailers will include food handlers, the legal requirement behind the announcement is drafted to reflect the fact that in some situations face coverings may not be appropriate as they could present a hygiene risk that compromises food safety. Food businesses are already managing risks by ensuring staff are not at work if they are symptomatic and also applying food safety management and hygiene measures as part of their HACCP as outlined above.”

“It is therefore for the business to determine whether it is appropriate for their staff to wear a face covering while they are handling food, so if they have carried out a risk assessment which indicates that their use would pose a risk to food safety, then they are not required in this setting.”

The Scottish Craft Butchers office in Perth is now closed following government guidelines.
We will be available to our members to answer any queries via email or by mobile phone and will be available out of office hours for any members wanting to contact us.
Our contact details are below
Gordon King: – [email protected] 07917524313
Bruce McCall: – [email protected] 07834490922