HUNTER shoppers could soon be asked to wear face masks when visiting Woolworths stores after the retail group 'strongly' encouraged their use in parts of south-west Sydney.
In an update on the company's website on Saturday, Woolworths Food Group CEO Brad Banducci encouraged shoppers in the local government areas of Fairfield and Liverpool to wear face masks.
He said the company would keep a "close eye on other areas as the situation evolves" before extending the measures to other parts of NSW.
It comes after face masks became compulsory in Melbourne and parts of Victoria.
"If toilet paper was the symbol of the first phase of COVID, then masks are symbolic of this phase," he said.
"With face masks fast becoming part of everyday life in Victoria (and indeed in many parts of Europe and the United States), it feels prudent to prepare for the same in NSW.
"With that in mind, we have updated our advice in all our stores in ... Fairfield and Liverpool with a close eye on other areas as the situation evolves.
"In these areas, we strongly encourage customers to wear a face covering when coming into any of our stores."
The advice applies to Woolworths supermarkets, BIG W outlets, and BWS and Dan Murphy's bottle shops.
This company has issued the same advice to staff working in those areas and provided them with masks to wear.
"We fully support all customers and team members who choose to wear a face covering," Mr Banducci said.
