MOVES to tighten public health rules in supermarkets in Wales have been welcomed by Argus readers.

We asked via social media if you would welcome stricter coronavirus safety measures to be introduced - or reintroduced - in the supermarkets you frequent.

The issue has been identified recently by the Welsh Government as needing renewed attention, as consideration is given to the introduction of even tighter restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

It has been brought into sharper focus given the spread of the more contagious new variant of coronavirus in Wales.

The overwhelming majority of people who responded agreed with the move.

Many said they would welcome the return of measures like one-way systems and capping the number of people who can be in a shop at one time for the sake of improving people’s safety, even if these make trips to the supermarket less convenient.

People also identified policies on face coverings as an area that needs improvement.

This week several leading supermarket chains followed the lead of Morrisons in announcing they would remove non-exempt shoppers who refused to wear masks in their stores.

There was widespread sympathy too, for supermarket staff, whom readers said were expected to risk hostility from some customers who were not following the rules.

Several readers said they are themselves supermarket workers and want more support from the public.

Steve Jones described his experiences in supermarkets as “every man for himself”.

He said: “I try to keep my distance but others just take no notice of the measures put in place.”

Graham Harrison called for tighter measures including compulsory hand sanitising for people who enter a store, as well as the removal of shoppers who do not follow the procedures.

Jan Farrington also said it should be “mandatory to use hand sanitiser on entry”, and added: “Where people are not wearing masks for medical reasons, they shouldn’t be allowed to stand around chatting in the aisles.”

Lesley Smith and Sharon Chapman were among those to recommend that larger family groups should not visit the supermarket together, if they can help it.

Tash Harris said it is often “chaos” in the supermarket.

“I’ve had to ask lots of people to give me space and to not lean over me to get items, just because they have a mask on,” she said. “I think some people feel because they have a mask on they can continue around the store as they did before Covid-19.”

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Sue Turnbull sympathised with shop staff who are being put “at more risk”.

But she said supermarkets have “let standards slip”.

“Some of the supermarkets are letting anyone in and not challenging them, at our expense,” she said.

But one store staff member said “it’s not the supermarket workers’ fault” if some people didn’t follow the rules.

“As a supermarket worker, we have rules in place, control of numbers allowed in, a one way system,” she said.

“But people will not follow the rules. My springer spaniel could do a better job of following rules.”

A second person who said she worked in a supermarket, said and there were “a lot [of people] who are not respectful of the rules”, with some not wearing masks and “an incredible amount of people not following arrows or giving two metres of space”.

A third supermarket worker complained of staff members facing “ridiculous” abuse for trying to encourage people to follow the rules.

She said: “As front-line workers we are very much at-risk. We have families too, but can’t stay at home.”

She also said supermarket workers are “tired” and “mentally drained”, adding: “For things to get better it needs to go back to the March lockdown rules.”

Emma Drabble called on shoppers to “have a thought for the staff and their families who work in supermarkets”.

She said: “If they catch Covid due to people not distancing and not wearing masks properly and hand sanitising on the way in and out, it [is] causing a higher risk to us all.

“No one wants unmanned supermarkets and complete internet shopping, so there has so be respect and caution for people [who] work and give us the services we want to keep open and need.”