Facemasks now mandatory for shoppers

We have been liaising with retailers and partners across the county this week to ensure they have the right information and guidance ahead of the introduction of mandatory face coverings which is introduced today, Friday 24 July.

We have received guidance on the legislation and we want to reassure the public that we will continue to seek to engage and explain changes in the legislation and will only issue fines as a last resort.

Assistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet said: “We will engage with anyone not following the new regulations on face coverings and explain why they are required to wear one. If someone refuses to wear a covering, and they are not exempt under the regulations, then we do have the power to issue fines but enforcement will be a last resort, as it has always been.

“We will be contacting retailers to encourage them to engage with customers who are not wearing a face covering before contacting the police.

“There are no plans to increase police presence in the county’s shopping areas purely to enforce the wearing of face coverings. Our communities know that we all have a responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 and we are sure that the new regulations will be widely supported by the public of Derbyshire.”

Government guidance on face coverings can be found via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own