Asda introduces coronavirus safety marshals to ensure shoppers follow new government guidelines

Asda has confirmed it is introducing 1,000 new Covid-19 marshals in the entrances to its supermarkets.

Representatives for the supermarket have confirmed to The Independent that shoppers can expect to see these new additions in stores “from next week”.

They will also be installed in the aisles of larger Asda stores, and are expected to be able to help shoppers with safety questions and to reiterate government guidelines.

If customers are not wearing masks in store, marshals will advise them to buy a pack of disposable masks and pay for them as part of their shopping trip.

Asda employees in England, Wales and Scotland will also be required to wear a face covering at all times while working, unless they have a medical exemption, in line with the recent guidance changes announced this week.

Extra hand sanitiser stations will be provided in stores, as well as protective coatings on all basket and trolley handles.

"These additional measures will make our stores an even safer place to shop and work during the coming months," Anthony Hemmerdinger, chief operating officer at Asda, says.

"We know that safety remains a key priority for our customers and we will continue to do all we can to keep them and our colleagues safe in store, as we have since the start of the pandemic.”

Morrisons has also announced that it will reinstate marshals on the doors of its 494 supermarkets.

A spree of panic-buying in the early stages of the nation’s outbreak saw some forced to turn to foodbanks after being unable to get the essentials they needed to get by.

Despite scenes at some stores, supermarket giants Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi said they had "good availability" on Monday and have not experienced any shortages yet.

Tesco’s online capacity has almost doubled from 600,000 weekly delivery slots in March, to 1.5 million in September.