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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jamie Rose & Claire Gilbody-Dickerson

Woman kicked out of Sainsbury's by police for refusing to wear a face mask

A woman who refused to show proof she was exempt from wearing a face mask while shopping at Sainsbury's was escorted out by police officers.

Heated footage has emerged of the woman challenging Kent Police officers over their request for her to show proof of exemption, KentLive reports.

It comes as supermarkets have clamped down on people not wearing face coverings by banning them all together unless they can prove they are exempt.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, covering faces in retail areas has been mandatory without a specific medical exemption since July.

However there is some ambiguity in the law on the need to provide proof of it.

This police officer confronted the woman who posted the footage on social media (LindaSk49118554)
Multiple supermarket chains have banned people who refuse to wear a face mask from entering their stores (PA)

So multiple supermarket chains including Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda all announced they would start refusing entry to all those who failed to wear a covering.

Footage of the incident yesterday and which was posted on Twitter, shows the shopper repeatedly asking the two officers if they are doctors.

Despite apparently not having proof of the exemption, the woman brandishes a piece of paper which she says explains the law on providing it.

The female police officer replies that she doesn't need to see something she has printed out at home.

The officers then explain the store manager does not want to serve her, before marching her out of the supermarket.

On the way out, the woman says that she is being discriminated against, that the officers are liable of a fine of up to £9,000, and that she will be taking them to court.

The female police officer simply replies that she looks forward to seeing her there.

The woman then asks to record their badge numbers, which the officers calmly agree to, before finally walking away.

The self-proclaimed 'anti-masker' now appears to have made per Twitter account private.

The gov.uk website says police can take measures if members of the public do not comply with the face covering law without a valid exemption”.

However on the same page it also says those with an age, health or disability reason for not wearing a face covering do not “routinely need to show any written evidence of this”.

In signs that supermarkets and authorities are seeing through with their plans to punish those who fail to abide by the rules, another man in Dover was fined £200 just two days ago for refusing to wear a covering at a local Morrisons.

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