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ACS has launched a new poster for retailers to help communicate the new rules on face coverings that come into force later this week.

From Friday July 24^th, wearing a face covering will be compulsory in shops in England. The rules do not extend to colleagues in stores, although the Government strongly recommends that colleagues wear a face covering where possible.

There are a number of exemptions for people who are not able to wear a face covering, which are detailed on the poster. These include:

I’m not the first person to note that the Covid-19 crisis has shaken up politics. After the December 2019 election, we were expecting to be dealing with a government populated by libertarians and putting great faith in the free market and personal responsibility. The one thing we didn’t expect Boris Johnson to be accused of was operating a nanny state, but that’s exactly the charge being levelled by some now.

From today (15th July) the rate of VAT on eat-in or hot takeaway food has been cut from 20% to 5% until 12th January 2021.

The temporary VAT cut was announced as part of the Summer Statement as an urgent response to the coronavirus pandemic as part of the effort to support businesses impacted by forced closures and social distancing measures.

Last week, ACS received clarification that any vendor providing food and drink for consumption on the premises, or hot takeaway food or drinks are eligible for the reduced rate, including local shops.

The Government is to announce that wearing a face covering will be mandatory in shops from Friday 24^th July.

Penalties for not wearing a face covering will be enforced by the police, who can issue fines of up to £100 (reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days).

Face coverings are already mandatory in shops in Scotland, with the policy coming into force on 10^th July. The policy is still under review in Wales.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the inclusion of certain food and drink sales in the reduced rate of VAT announced by the Chancellor in his summer statement yesterday, and confirmation that convenience stores can go through the same process as other businesses to get licences for seating outside their store.