Tesco and Asda are the latest supermarkets to take a tougher stance on customers who refuse to wear a face covering without a medical exemption, by refusing to allow them to shop in stores.
It follows a similar move by Morrisons, while Sainsbury’s says it will challenge those who flout the rules.
An Asda spokesman said if customers had forgotten their face coverings, it would continue to offer them one free of charge.
But he added: “Should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so, our security colleagues will refuse their entry.”
A Tesco spokeswoman said the supermarket chain had decided to strengthen its policies.
“To protect our customers and colleagues, we won’t let anyone into our stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are exempt in line with government guidance,” she said.
“We are also asking our customers to shop alone, unless they’re a carer or with children. To support our colleagues, we will have additional security in stores to help manage this.”
On Monday Morrisons announced that shoppers who refuse to wear face masks offered by staff will not be allowed inside the store, unless they are medically exempt.
Morrisons said it had “introduced and consistently maintained thorough and robust safety measures in all our stores” since the start of the pandemic.
But it said: “From today we are further strengthening our policy on masks.”
Security guards at the UK’s fourth-biggest supermarket chain will be enforcing the new rules.
The announcement from Morrisons comes as the Westminster government is expected to introduce tougher lockdown measures. It is also part of a crack down on customers who are not wearing masks in stores.
