The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is backing the Government’s decision to re-introduce face coverings, which will become mandatory from Tuesday 30 November in shops and public transport in England. The tightening of rules follows the first cases of the Omicron variant being identified in the UK.

Commenting is Bira’s CEO, Andrew Goodacre. “We support the wearing of face coverings in shops in England. We are pleased that a decision has been made to keep everyone safe and stop the spread of this new variant.

“Our members are now well used to these measures, and we now have time to implement them again. Fortunately, indie retailers followed our advice and left measures such as Perspex screens in place. We now hope that the general public will be as responsible as the shop owners and staff and wear face coverings without any objections.”

For further information on Bira, please click here.