NEW tighter restrictions being imposed on supermarkets and other key retailers in Wales will be the responsibility of management.
This is according to first minister Mark Drakeford who was speaking on behalf of the Welsh Government at the coronavirus update briefing today.
Mr Drakeford said that, due to concerns surrounding the spread of a "highly contagious" strain of Covid-19, regulations for "key retailers" will be tightened to make sure businesses like supermarkets are following basic public health measures.
These measures include providing hand sanitisers for customers, limiting numbers of people inside stores, and making regular announcements asking people to keep their distance.
"It is the responsibility of owners and managers," he said.
"All these things lie in the hands of management.
"To be clear, it is entirely unacceptable that retail staff who have done so much, that these people should face abuse."
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Earlier in the pandemic, supermarkets across the country implemented measures such as customer limits and one-way systems.
However, Mr Drakeford said that this may have lapsed as time went on.
"All of that has been in the guidance and many have stuck with it, but there is evidence that those are not there everywhere, in the way they were before," he said.
He said the new restrictions would enable people to be able to go shopping "knowing that all the measures are in place to protect them from coronavirus".
Signs will have to be put around the store, sanitiser will have to be made available, and there will be systems in place to limit how many people are in a store at one time.
This will be made law.
Asked whether staff or customers made up the majority of cases reported to have spread from supermarkets, Mr Drakeford said that both were present equally.
"The rise in cases has been changed by the lack of being able to meet in homes," he said.
"Supermarkets are one of the few places where people can end up among others.
"Supermarkets are safe places.
"We want to make sure they are even safer."
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