Aldi has confirmed that those refusing to wear a face covering will not be permitted to enter its stores.
The bargain supermarket has laid out its strict new rules for shoppers amid the new lockdown, adding that customers should shop alone if they can.
Aldi joins supermarket giants Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s who this week clamped down on face mask rules and said they would challenge those who refuse to wear them.
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For a limited time, the retailer will provide a mask free of charge for anyone who has forgotten to bring one.
It has, however, confirmed that anyone without a medical exemption that refuses to wear a mask will not be permitted to enter its stores.
Giles Hurley, chief executive officer at Aldi UK, said: “The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority.
“Wearing a mask is mandatory for everyone that shops at Aldi, except for the small number of people who have a medical exemption.”
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Aldi also has several other safety measures in place, including a traffic light system to manage customer numbers and ensure that social distancing guidelines can be followed.
Other safety measures include screens at checkouts and a recent doubling of sanitisation stations in stores.