Woolworths is encouraging staff and customers to wear face masks at its stores in Queensland’s coronavirus hotspots
One of the country’s biggest retailers is encouraging staff and customers to wear face masks when shopping at its stores in Queensland’s coronavirus hotspots. UPDATED STORE LIST.
QLD Business
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WOOLWORTHS is urging customers and staff to wear face masks at its stores in coronavirus hotspot areas of Queensland, including in Brisbane’s CBD
The guidance is for Woolworths Supermarkets, Woolworths Metro Food Stores, BIG W, Dan Murphy’s, BWS and ALH Hotels.
The retailer has now expanded the list of stores where it is encouraging mask wearing to include: Macarthur Chambers (Queen St) and Spring Hill (Turbot St) in the CBD, plus Buranda, Garden City, Logan Central and Acacia Ridge.
Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci said the safety of staff, customers and the community as the retailer’s top priorities.
“Even though wearing a face covering is not mandatory in NSW, ACT or Queensland, as the largest private sector employer with stores in almost every community, we feel it’s important we lead the way in helping reduce community transmission of COVID-19,” he said.
“We’re asking our teams to lead by example, and this includes our group executive team.
“Masks and face coverings are a highly visible symbol of the persistence of COVID-19. By encouraging and role modelling their use, it will further support the steps we need to collectively take to stop the spread of the virus and keep our team and customers safe.”
In Queensland, customers and teams across Woolworths Group stores and sites within hot spot areas will be strongly encouraged to wear face coverings from Friday.
Face coverings are being provided to all staff to wear and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
“We’ll continue to work with the Health Department to make sure our safety protocols and procedures are the best they can be,” Mr Banducci said.
“We’d like to thank our customers and team for their ongoing support as we all work together to keep our communities COVIDSafe.”
The retail giant said with the increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in NSW, customers and staff at all Woolworths Group stores and sites in NSW and ACT will be strongly encouraged to wear face coverings from Monday 3 August.
This is in addition to the mandatory requirements for face coverings in all of Victoria, currently in place across Melbourne and Mitchell shires, with the entire state now included from Sunday.
A Coles spokesperson said while masks were not currently mandatory in Queensland they were available to staff who wished to use them.
“We will continue to take the advice of State Government health experts on the use of masks in our stores,” the spokesperson said.
The Woolworths supermarkets in Queensland where customers and staff are being “strongly encouraged” to wear masks:
Brookwater
Browns Plains
Browns Plains Westpoint
Chatswood Hills
Park Ridge
Springfield
Springwood
Sunnybank
Macarthur Chambers
Buranda
Logan Central
Garden City
Spring Hill
Acacia Ridge
