Media Release | 21 July 2020
Quotes from Gerard Dwyer, National Secretary the SDA the union for retail, fast food, warehouse and online retail workers
The law should be applied and enforced.
The health and safety of retail workers as well as the general community depend on it.
Shopping centres attract large numbers of people throughout the week, enhancing the risk of community transmission of COVID-19 if the law is not applied and enforced, including the mandating of masks.
Retail workers should not be required to enforce the law, that is the job of the police.
Shoppers should not be allowed into stores without masks.
If a government announces that masks are mandatory, the police should enforce the law, to do otherwise puts the health and safety of retail workers and shoppers at risk as well as sending a mixed message to the community.
If Victoria does not have the resources to enforce the law, perhaps it should call on the Commonwealth to offer ADF personnel to assist.
It would be of great assistance if shoppers were not permitted to enter shopping centres without a mask in line with the Retail Recovery Protocol agreed by the SDA, the National Retail Association, the National Retailers Association, the Shopping Centre Council and the Pharmacy Guild on May 1st.