First Minister Mark Drakeford has insisted that supermarkets are a safe place to, despite admitting that there was "significant" evidence that there was some transmission of coronavirus in supermarkets.
He was speaking at the latest Welsh Government coronavirus briefing on Friday, January 15, where he announced new legislation for supermarkets, including:
- Having signs visible to help people keep their distance and make their way around the store
Having sanitiser available for hands and trolleys
Having systems in place to limit the number of people who can be in store at any one time.
He said there was evidence of transmission in supermarkets because there are so many other places for people to meet because of the level 4 restrictions that have been in place since December 20.
"There are risks that are run when people go to supermarkets," he told the Welsh Government coronavirus briefing on Friday. "The majority of supermarkets have worked very hard to make those places as safe as possible.
"But there is no doubt either that there is a feeling amongst the Welsh public that the visible signs of protection that were there back in the Spring of last year when it was very obvious when you went to a supermarket that everything was being done, that some of those visible signs had been reduced.
"It is very important for the confidence of staff and the people who go shopping that that more visible sense that everything is being done to protect them."
But the First Minister insisted that supermarkets are a safe place to go.
"Supermarkets are safe places," he insisted. "I don't want to give the impression that supermarkets are dangerous places.
"They are safe places and we are incredibly grateful to all those brave members of staff who have been in there provided face to face services to members of the public since the very beginning of the pandemic.
"We want to make sure that they are even safer by putting all the measures that were previously visibly in place here in Wales."
He said putting the rules into regulations strengthens confidence that "everything that is being done that can be done to make it safe."
Sara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said: "Sage data has always highlighted that retail is a safe environment, and shops have spent hundreds of millions on safety measures including perspex screens, additional cleaning, and social distancing.
"Our members are already delivering in line with or above current safety guidance, including specific risk assessments, and customers should be reassured that grocers and supermarkets are Covid-secure and safe to visit during lockdown and beyond."
She added: “Retail workers have played a vital role in keeping Wales fed and supplied during the pandemic. During that time, they have had to take on new legal duties, such as managing physical distancing in stores, along with the myriad and growing list over recent years of statutory duties.
"That has increased the pressure on those workers to enforce legislation on customers, creating further conflict and flashpoints which have led to workers being abused. That abuse is utterly unacceptable.
"We ask that all customers play their part in keeping our stores safe, shopping alone where possible, following in-store signage and being considerate to staff and fellow shoppers."
