Mask-erade in supermarkets
Among the masked faces in public places yesterday, there were also people whose mask was hooked behind one ear, pushed under the nose or pushed under the whole chin. Such a view yesterday was not uncommon in supermarkets, where masks have been mandatory since yesterday. In some shopping centers, people without masks were not allowed in at all, in others no one seemed to care about the absence of masks.
"So shoot me, but I won't put that rag on my nose," a graying lady grumbled angrily yesterday at one of the Ziepniekkalns supermarkets, pushing the shopping cart. After throwing a packet of milk, a bunch of bananas and a loaf of white bread on the conveyor belt, she waited with a challenge in her eyes as to what the cashier would say to this. After receiving neither a reprimand from the cashier, nor a purchase refusal for not wearing the mask, she left the store noticeably dissatisfied. Fair enough, she was not the only buyer without a mask in the store. Yesterday in Ziepniekkalns Rimi, Maxima and Mego supermarkets in the middle of the day about one third of customers were without masks. However, regardless of the presence or absence of masks, all customers in these stores were served and even without reprimands.
In Jelgava, on the other hand, shoppers without masks were not allowed in the Valdeka shopping center yesterday.
After some moaning and groaning about the new order, almost everyone who had wanted to sneak in the store without a mask eventually pulled it out of their bag or pocket and went inside the store. The new requirement to wear masks in shops caused less opposition and experience for those living on the Lithuanian border, because in Lithuania the requirement to wear masks in a supermarket was already in force in the spring.
The government's decision stipulates that, as of yesterday, mouth and nose masks must be used not only on public transport, but also at points of sale - shops, including supermarkets, post offices, petrol stations and other places where trade takes place. Their use will also be mandatory at railway stations, bus stations, airports, as well as cultural and religious sites, provided that they do not host an event organized with fixed, personalized seating. From October 17, there will be additional restrictions on interest education, private events and sports. There will also be stricter conditions in public catering.
Will be urged and reminded, but not punished
In contrast to public transport, from which you can be removed for not wearing a mask, no buyers in Maxima, Rimi, Citro or Stockmann shopping center will be told to leave due to lack of masks and will be served in the same way as buyers who wear a mask, Neatkarīgā discovered by surveying traders.
An information campaign has been running in Rimi stores since yesterday, informing the people of Latvia about new regulations, including the requirement to use face masks. Elīna Šakirova, Rimi Latvia's senior public relations specialist, pointed out that Rimi supports the government's requirements for the use of face masks in stores, and the company treats the safety and well-being of its employees and customers with the utmost responsibility.
"We are calling for the new conditions to be followed from October 14, but we understand that some people need a few days to prepare for the newly introduced security measures. If we notice that our customers are deliberately not following the new rules, we will decide on the next steps so that the wearing of masks is still observed. The spread of this virus requires a very short period of time, therefore wearing masks is an essential condition to increase security for oneself and others,” explained Kristīne Ciemīte, head of marketing and public relations department at Rimi Latvia.
Maxima also focuses on an extensive information campaign through various communication channels, such as the store's radio, TV, social media, asking people to wear masks in the store, thus taking collective care of their own and others' health. "Taking care of the additional safety of our colleagues, we provide mouth and nose masks, i.e. face masks or visors, to all employees in the sales hall, food production, store warehouse and other store premises.
I would like to emphasize that limiting the spread of the virus requires mutual cooperation, so we call on the population to be responsible and comply with the restrictions set by the responsible services, thus reducing and stopping the spread of the virus in the interests of society as a whole,” said Liene Dupate-Ugule. Face masks are already available in most Maxima stores, and by Friday, all 175 Maxima stores will also have fabric face masks available, inviting people to buy reusable masks to protect nature.
Imants Kelmers, chairman of the board of Latvian Retail Management, emphasized to Neatkarīgā that all Citro outlets adhere to national safety and precautionary measures to reduce the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus. "All existing safety notices are supplemented by a call to use face masks in accordance with the government's decision, and our employees will remind of their use as much as possible. Already at some Citro stores, it is possible to buy a disposable face mask in case it is not taken with you, but in the near future such an opportunity will be gradually provided throughout the whole store network. Given the increase in the incidence of Covid-19 in recent weeks, it is understandable that the government has made it mandatory to wear face masks in public places in order to reduce the spread of the virus. I hope that the general public will respect this and take this extra precautionary step so that we do not have to return to the emergency caused by the pandemic, as it was in the spring, when the restrictions were even stricter," said I. Kelmers.
The Stockmann shopping center also asks customers to observe all safety measures every hour. In turn, buyers who will have arrived in the shopping center without a mask will be urged to use them by employees, Dace Goldmane, the director of the department store Stockmann Rīga, told Neatkarīgā.
Traders are forced to adjust in just one evening
Henriks Danusēvičs, president of the Latvian Traders' Association, is outraged by the requirement to use masks in stores. "Just yesterday [Tuesday] we were free to go to the store, but already tomorrow [Thursday] - not a step without a mask. Such a decision is sudden, allowing neither to get used to new restrictions. nor to prepare for them.
The attitude of the government shows complete distrust of the people, including entrepreneurs. At the same time, there are reasonable suspicions about the inability to predict and prepare for various Covid-19 development scenarios. As a result, there is a reluctance to discuss with the society the planned restriction of people's freedoms and imposing an additional financial burden on both citizens and entrepreneurs,” H. Danusēvičs posted on Facebook yesterday. He considers that the restrictions that now apply to the trade sector are unjustified. Traders have provided the basic requirements - distance, limited number of visitors to the facilities, disinfectants. All companies have been assessed for risks and, where possible, additional security measures have been put in place, such as glass barriers, measuring temperature, limited public events and sales promotions. In addition, the new requirements were not discussed with industry.
"The right course of action on the part of the government would be to discuss what measures still need to be introduced on a voluntary basis, rather than imposing uniform, illogical restrictions throughout the country. The government has expressed its distrust of the people and, unfortunately, this further strengthens public opinion about parallel worlds - the public administration elite - financially secured and guaranteed to spend resources independently - and employees working in professions not favored by the private market or public media. The gap is widening, democracy is increasingly being restricted, and the understanding of it is controlled and determined by the political elite,” H. Danusēvičs emphasized.
Neatkarīgā’s observations on the wearing of masks in supermarkets on October 14At 11.50 Rimi (Valdeķu Street 51a) 4 out of 14 buyers were without masks At 12.00 Mego (Dižozolu Street 2) 8 out of 20 buyers were without masks At 12.10 Maxima (Dižozolu Street 1) 5 out of 20 buyers were without masks |