The general obligation to wear masks will no longer apply in numerous discount and supermarket chains from next week. After some retailers such as Aldi, Edeka or Ikea had initially submitted, the competition from Lidl, Rewe and Penny is now following suit.
Anyone who shops in supermarkets and discounters will no longer have to wear a mask from next week. After Edeka and Globus, Rewe also announced on Thursday that they would not exercise their domiciliary rights after the end of the state requirements. House rules would make it possible for companies to continue to require masks to be worn on their premises – but this is not considered enforceable in the industry.
Unless there are other official requirements, shopping at Rewe and the discount subsidiary Penny will also be possible without a mask, said a Rewe spokesman on Thursday. This also applies to the Toom DIY chain, which also belongs to the group. Wearing a mask was introduced as a protective measure during the pandemic.
End of the mask requirement: Aldi is also following suit
Lidl and Aldi also made it clear on Thursday that customers will soon no longer have to wear mouth and nose protection. If government regulations “provide for the lifting of the mask requirement for customers, we will follow them,” said the Schwarz Group, to which Lidl and Kaufland belong. Aldi Süd announced that it reserves the right to recommend that employees and customers continue to wear a mask voluntarily.
In some parts of Germany, however, consumers will probably have to continue to wear a mask before walking through the shop door. Because in Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, wearing mouth and nose covers should continue to be mandatory until the end of April.
Masks are no longer compulsory on Sunday – then you can shop at train stations and airports in supermarkets that are also open on Sundays. At the beginning of the week, the retail trade opens its doors for the regular sales week – for the first time in a long time, customers who are not wearing a mouth and nose cover are allowed to come in.
No mask in the supermarket: What are Lidl, Rewe and Co. planning?
Numerous other retailers have also announced that they will not exercise their domiciliary rights – such as the furniture retailer Ikea, the garden center operator Dehner, the clothing chain Ernsting’s Family, the department store company Woolworth and the bookseller Thalia.
However, there are also appeals to customers to voluntarily wear a protective cover in the future. An Edeka spokeswoman said: “In general, we would like to emphasize that we recommend wearing a medical mask when visiting our markets for the self-protection of our customers and for the protection of our employees.” Electronics retailer Mediamarkt Saturn made a similar statement.
There are sometimes fears among the workforce that the number of infections in the shops could increase as a result of the easing. The employers emphasize that they continue to take the health protection of their staff very seriously. Disinfectants at the shop entrance and plexiglass panes at cash registers or information desks should also continue to exist – several companies emphasized this.
Shop recommendation for FFP2 masks
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