Budget supermarket Aldi has announced it will provide staff with face masks in a bid to protect its employees and shoppers.
But bosses at the shop giant, which boasts almost 900 stores, stressed workers will still have the choice to wear them, Leicestershire Live reports.
It comes after the company had previously offered gloves and said it would be putting clear screens in place as part of its changes to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Along with this change, Aldi has also introduced a voucher scheme to make it easier for volunteers to buy food on behalf of the vulnerable and those self-isolating.
The vouchers are available to buy on a new Aldi voucher website, vouchers.aldi.co.uk. Once purchased, the vouchers can be posted to any address in the UK so they can be given to volunteers, friends or family members to shop on behalf of vulnerable people.
Vouchers are available in denominations of £5.00 and £10.00 with no additional costs to customers for postage.
In addition, Aldi has joined the Government’s free school meals programme meaning those eligible can now access Aldi vouchers through the Edenred scheme.
Fritz Walleczek, managing director for Corporate Responsibility at Aldi said: “This is an incredibly difficult time for certain people in our communities and, as has always been our mission, we want to ensure everyone has safe, easy and affordable access to quality food.
“We all owe huge thanks to the volunteers, friends and family members that are making sure vulnerable people across the UK can get groceries while they self-isolate. I’m hopeful that our voucher scheme will make it a little bit easier for them to continue this vital work.”
