TOWN'S NUMBER ONE RETAILER PUTS IN ANOTHER SUPPORT MEASURE TO 'PROTECT' AGAINST COVID SCOURGE

FRONTLINE shopworkers in Atherstone are being given more protection from the threat of deadly Covid-19 in the second announcement of the day.

Staff in Co-op food stores and petrol stations in the town centre and across North Warwickshire are being issued with face visors to ensure they are safe while serving the community.

The town's biggest retailer, which as a group has 260 outlets across 16 counties, has handed out the pieces of personal protective equipment as part of its ongoing response to the pandemic.

The news comes hot on the heels of a decision by Aldi earlier today to offer face masks to its entire store-based workforce to protect staff during the virus crisis.

Central England Co-op says it is rolling out the special equipment for all colleagues to help keep them stay healthy while local shoppers continue to have access to vital food and essentials.

The wearing of the visors is not compulsory, and the decision is down to individual colleagues who work in food stores and petrol stations.

The society employs over 6,200 colleagues across its food business and recently hired an extra 1,000 temporary staff to cope with increased demand.

The visors will sit alongside a range of other measures in stores aimed at keeping customers and colleagues safe including social distancing, gloves and hand sanitiser, over 1,000 checkout screens and over 150 security guards to help with queues.

Central England Co-op chief executive Debbie Robinson said: "Nothing is more important to us all at the Co-op than the safety of our colleagues and customers.

"We're closely following Government advice in our approach to social distancing and have rolled out a range of new measures for our stores that now includes face visors for colleagues if they want to wear one.

"We continue to ask all of our customers to co-operate with these measures to keep us all safe and allow us to continue to serve our communities."

The society has been leading the way to ensure its colleagues and customers continue to have access to food, essentials and vital services in the local community.

Other measures put in place to support included:

• Recruiting over 1,000 extra colleagues to help in stores like Atherstone, including support from across its other businesses in travel, floral and head office;
• Implementing the new £45 contactless limit;
• Launching a 10 per cent discount and priority access for NHS staff and rewarding staff for their hard work;
• Donating more than 60,000 items to food bank partners as a result of an ongoing urgent food bank appeal; and
• Supporting long-term partners Dementia UK and FareShare Midlands with significant donations to ensure the vital work they do in the community can continue.

Meanwhile firms, charities, community groups and individuals in Atherstone and North Warwickshire, who have been helping with the supply and distribution of PPE, hav been praised by Warwickshire County Council. Local industry has re-purposed production to make a range of protective items, such as aprons and visors, while other local firms have generously donated PPE equipment. On a smaller scale, individuals and craft groups have come together virtually to create 'scrub-hubs' to create supplies of PPE. The PPE that has been manufactured and donated includes masks (Type IIR, II or FFP2), nitrile powder free gloves, disposable aprons, fluid resistant gowns, clinical waste bags and eye protection. County council chief executive Monica Fogarty, said: "This equipment is helping protect key workers supporting our most vulnerable people and I'm incredibly proud of the way everyone is responding to Covid-19. "It has been wonderful to see businesses and communities joining forces to help our health and social care workers." If your business would like to donate appropriate PPE – whether by donating your own stock, or by repurposing your manufacturing processes – you can get in touch by emailing [email protected].