'No way' to enforce mask requirement, say shops and shopping centres across Portsmouth region

Face masks must be worn in shops in England from Friday, although shop workers will not have to wear them.

Anyone who does not wear a mask could be fined up to £100, or £50 if the fine is paid within 14 days.

The government has said they expect the rules to be enforced by the police, not shop workers.

Gunwharf Quays is ‘strongly encouraging’ visitors to wear masks and a limited number will be available for ‘urgent situations’, while the Fareham Shopping Centre will feature updated signs and mall announcements.

At the Meridian Centre in Havant, staff have taken onboard the message that they are not expected to enforce mask wearing, according to manager Rob Fryer.

He said: ‘We will be putting up signage asking people to wear a mask and having the automated tannoy system making announcements reminding people of the new requirement.

‘All our staff will be wearing masks.

‘But there is nothing we can do if shoppers don’t wear masks – I won’t be chasing people down the mall.

‘Retailers are struggling to bring back sales, and this won’t help.

‘We haven’t seen a lot of people wearing masks – I cannot say I have seen a big increase.’

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Staff at the Cascades Shopping Centre in Portsmouth will rely ‘purely on the element of encouraging people’ to wear mask, according to centre manager Andy Philip.

He said: ‘There will be signage asking people, and we will be using the customer service approach, encouraging customer to be wearing masks.

‘Currently we are not seeing large groups of people not wearing masks.’

The shopping centre has also installed a vending machine selling masks next to Boswells cafe.

Staff at independent shops report seeing an upturn in customers wearing masks – but they feel there is no way to stop those without a mask from entering their premises.

A customer assistant at Willows Furniture Emporium said: ‘All we can do is politely ask for people to wear a mask – how else can you enforce it?’

The concern was echoed by Julie Kelly, the owner of Soundz record store in Albert Road.

She said: ‘If someone tried to come into the store without a mask, I probably wouldn’t say anything – it depends what kind of reaction I think I would get.

‘There’s not way of policing it. The police don’t have the time to come out here.’

She added: ‘I’d say 90 per cent of people are wearing masks when they come in.’

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