The legal requirement to wear a face mask in public places ended on Monday and while some in Tayside are glad to ditch masks, others remain more cautious about Covid.
Last summer we found 13.8% of 600 shoppers in six main local supermarkets, on the same weekday, were not wearing masks.
And when we revisited in February our snapshot found 26.5% of shoppers weren’t wearing masks.
But what percentage of supermarket customers in Dundee’s main shops are still wearing masks now the rules have relaxed? You may be surprised at the findings.
The Scottish government and health experts are still advising people to continue to wear face masks voluntarily in indoor crowded spaces and on public transport.
Sainsbury’s, Tom Johnston Rd, Dundee
In Sainsbury’s, when masks were a legal requirement, we previously saw 14 of 100 people without face masks or exemption lanyards.
Visiting this week there were 48 of 100 not wearing masks, so 52% still masking up.
This may seem surprising given there is no longer a legal need to wear one.
But one shopper told us: “I’ve just got used to wearing it and I’ll carry on just now. It’s as much for other people who might be at risk if they catch Covid, as it is for myself.”
Asda, Craigie, Dundee
In Asda, 60 of the 100 people we saw were not wearing a mask this week.
That’s a change from our February trip when, at the same time of day as before, we found a third – 33 of 100 – of adults not wearing a face mask in the store.
Lidl, Kingsway, Dundee
The number of shoppers choosing not to wear a mask in Lidl’s Kingsway store this week had also increased since our visit last year.
Just 10% of shoppers were maskless back in 2021, rising to 26 of the 100 not wearing masks in February.
This week we found 55 of the 100 shoppers not wearing a mask, while 45% still preferred to.
Morrisons, Dundee
While in Morrisons, which previously had 40 of 100 shoppers without a mask, the number had risen this week to 59% not wearing one.
Tesco, Kingsway, Dundee
When we visited Tesco’s large Kingsway store in February 2022 there were 26 of 100 shoppers not wearing face masks.
But this time our investigation found more people with a face covering than without – 53 of the 100 shoppers were wearing masks.
Aldi, Arbroath Road, Dundee
In the Aldi store on Dundee’s Arbroath Road, we again found the number not wearing masks had risen. But perhaps not as much as expected.
The first time we visited, last summer, just 9 of 100 shoppers were not wearing face masks. This increased to 20% not wearing masks in February 2022.
But this time round, while 60 of 100 shoppers didn’t wear a mask, 40% were choosing to still wear them.
Our snapshot comparison shows the percentage of shoppers not wearing masks in Dundee has risen from 26.5% in February to 55.8% now rules have been dropped. Now take our poll…
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