People urged by police to wear face coverings in Harborough shops - but only call them as a 'last resort'

People are being urged by police to wear face coverings when they go into shops across Harborough from today (Friday).

Local forces are calling on the public to be responsible as it becomes mandatory to cover up your faces in stores and supermarkets in a new crackdown on Covid-19.

But police are asking shopkeepers and retailers to call officers only as a “last resort” as people who refuse to wear a proper face covering a £100 fine.

A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: “We will be continuing to encouraging people to be responsible and socialise safely.

“This is about lives and livelihoods and we must work together to stay safe and stop the spread of this virus.”

He added: “Earlier this week the Government announced new regulations requiring people to wear face coverings in shops from July 24.

“There will be certain groups who are exempt from this including children under 11, people with certain disabilities or learning difficulties and people with respiratory illnesses or disease.

“As Leicester continues in lockdown, police will continue to direct people to follow the regulations, for example directing gatherings to disperse and attendees to return home.”

Officers will “engage, explain, encourage and will enforce only if necessary”.

“In relation to face coverings in shops people who fail to comply could be fined £100.

“Our local partners have been working with retailers to ensure they are aware of the changes.

“We would ask that the public and retailers take a common sense approach and deal with non-compliance appropriately,” said the spokesman.

“We are asking all retailers to only call police as a last resort.”

Simon Blatchly, Assistant Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, said: “Thankfully the number of cases of coronavirus is much lower now than a couple of months ago.

“However, as restrictions ease it is essential that we all follow the Government guidance in a bid to prevent a second wave of cases.

“The Government has suggested that police forces will be able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices of £100 to anyone who fails to wear a face covering in shops and supermarkets from Friday.

“We will not be patrolling every outlet in Northamptonshire and so are relying on people following the rules.”

He added: “Our demand levels across the county have returned to pre-Covid levels and we have to prioritise the calls we receive.

“And so unless there is a public order issue, we won’t be attending calls about people failing to wear a face covering.

“If people have concerns about shoppers not wearing face coverings, we ask they report the incident online, rather than contact our control room, to allow our call handlers to answer emergency calls.”