Shoppers will be encouraged to wear masks inside Westfield shopping centres
Shoppers at Westfield shopping centres will be encouraged to wear masks even after the legal requirement to do so is dropped.
Jactina Rowsell, manager of Westfield shopping centre in White City, said in order to make shoppers and staff feel safe, masks would be encouraged in both London shopping centres.
“We’re very aware and very focused that guests coming into the centre do want to feel safe – they’re our priority, as are our retailers and our staff, so where possible we will be encouring the wearing of masks when people are coming in,” she told BBC 4’s Today Show.
She said retailers in the shopping centres would be free to implement their own policies on mask wearing.
Rowsell also revealed footfall was up to around 70 per cent of its numbers in 2019 in both Westfield Stratford and Westfield in White City.
“There is definitely the positive return of people coming to the centre and that’s reinforced by the fact we have such wide malls, we have big open spaces, and we can comfortably accommodate safe numbers of customers within the capacity our centres offer,” she added.
Last night Boris Johnson announced compulsory mask wearing in the likes of shops and on public transport would be dropped on 19 July.
However, masks will still be encouraged in closed spaces like public transport.