Should high street pharmacy staff wear masks?

swingaloo2

As the title really, shoould staff in a high street chemist shop be wearing masks or are the rules different from other retailers?

finalfantasist

I've seen nothing to suggest they are, but perhaps the staff have medical conditions that make them exempt.

tripled

They don't need to if there is a screen between the customers and staff, or if they are exempt.

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

swingaloo2

Thank you for the link but it doesnt really answer my question. The shop have 7 staff all working in a confined space and all without masks. There is no screen at the front of the counter and certainly no space for the staff to work spaced apart. In fact they have to squeeze past each other all the time. 
I can find lots of info on retail shops but cant find anything to say if a pharmacy is under different rules because most of the medical websited refer to pharmacies in generak rather than shops. As they are open to the general public I would have thought they had the same rules as other retailers.

macman

Why don't you ask them? It does not sound like they have made any attempt to be Covid-secure, so why don't you take your business to another pharmacy?

A pharmacy is still a 'retail shop; as they sell lots of items that are non-pharmacy or non-prescription.

jon81uk

The workplace should have completed a risk assessment and worked out how many staff can "fit" in that space. It sounds like it is an unsafe environment for those staff, so maybe the staff should report their employer to the HSE.

As a consumer though if you don't feel safe then leave.

swingaloo2

I am going to a different pharmacy in future as they seem totally oblivious to whats going on. Obviously they wont be but they are certainly not trying very hard to adhere to the rules.