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Return of social distancing in Welsh shops welcomed by Usdaw, customers urged to follow the rules and respect shopworkers

Date: 22 December 2021 Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the reintroduction of social distancing in Welsh shops, alongside the existing requirement to wear face coverings. The union is calling on retailers to promote face coverings, hand hygiene and social distancing in their stores and urging shoppers to follow the rules.
Nick Ireland – Usdaw Regional Secretary says: “We welcome social distancing requirements returning to stores in Wales, which Usdaw called for particularly in the face of the fast spreading Omicron variant. We note that the new restrictions come into force from Sunday, but we urge retailers not to open on Boxing Day to give staff a proper break over Christmas.
 
“Social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing a face covering in shops is an important measure to help protect workers who have no option but to interact with large numbers of people as a part of their job. Many retail workers are at a greater risk of catching the virus and bringing it home to their families.
 
“We are asking retailers to promote the rules, putting in place necessary queuing systems, one-way systems and physical barriers in stores. Also we are calling on the public to show their support and respect for shopworkers by complying. Retail staff have worked throughout the pandemic to keep the country supplied with essentials. These key workers must be valued, respected and protected.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion

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The official website of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers