Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Tauranga shoppers following new supermarket mask rules

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Bay of Plenty shoppers have adjusted quickly to a new lockdown rule requiring face masks at supermarkets, an unofficial survey has shown.

New mask rules were introduced yesterday meaning people must wear a face covering if they are a "customer or an employee involving customer contact" at a business or service operating at alert level 4.

That means masks must be worn to visit essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

Children under the age of 12, those with a physical or mental illness, and those who have conditions or a disability that makes wearing a face-covering unsuitable are exempt from the rule, according to the Government's Covid-19 website.

Police have instructed stores to contact police rather than trying to enforce the rules if someone refused to wear a mask or face covering.
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In the Bay of Plenty yesterday, however, compliance with the new rules appeared to be good.

The Bay of Plenty Times counted how many shoppers entering supermarkets were wearing masks during 15-minute windows. The surveys were conducted from a safe distance at stores in Tauranga and Rotorua.

At Countdown in Bethlehem, all but one of the 53 people who arrived at the shop in a 15-minute window had a mask.

The person who did not have one was given one.

It was a similar scene at Pak'nSave Cameron Rd in Tauranga, with 106 wearing a mask, and the few without being given one.

In Rotorua, the majority complied, with 65 people counted wearing a face covering at Countdown Fairy Springs, and four not.

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At Pak'nSave, 58 people had a face covering and three did not.

A spokeswoman for Foodstuffs, which owns Pak'nSave, said customers would be asked to put on a mask and staff would not let anyone in store without one.

She said police advised that, should a customer refuse to wear a face covering, stores should contact police.

"Should a customer refuse to wear a face covering and not fall within an exemption then we would encourage them to try our online offering."

She said Kiwis had already increased their mask use "significantly" following the new rules.

At alert level 4, stores also have to manage the number of people in stores at a time.

Countdown's corporate affairs, safety and sustainability general manager Kiri Hannifin said masks were a condition of entry at stores.

She said police advised supermarket teams to not enforce this should someone become aggressive and refuse to wear a mask as it was "simply too dangerous".

"We strongly hope that all New Zealanders will do the right thing and wear masks so that our team aren't put in this position."

A police media spokesman said, "Enforcement action will be taken where necessary for the safety of everyone."

Police were taking an education-first approach around mask use, he said, encouraging people to do the right thing for themselves, their loved ones and their community.

Police did not have enforcement data available yet.