Retail groups call for earlier vaccinations for shop workers

OUT of a provisional list of 15 vaccination groups of people in Ireland, retailer workers are likely to be allocated No. 13, according to the HSE. In a letter to RGDATA, Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer of the HSE, wrote: “I understand the retail/wholesale sector is likely to be included in the Government allocation group 13.” This places retail workers in the category of ‘Other workers in occupations important to the functioning of society’, beneath ‘People working in education sector’ (11) and ‘People aged 18-64 living or working in crowded settings’ (9). The letter followed a request from RGDATA to ensure that essential retail and food logistic employees would be categorised in Level 6: ‘Key workers (Vaccination Programme)’. “We believe it should be a priority for essential retailers and food logistics workers to get an early vaccine,” Tara Buckley, RGDATA Director General, told Retail News. “Obviously, we don’t believe that should be in front of the most vulnerable identified by the Government. Once they and frontline health care workers have been completed, we believe that essential retail and food logistics workers should be in the next category.” Vincent Jennings, CEO of the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA), said there has been “jostling for position” from different sectors on the priority list, but retail’s effort to “contain and control the spread of the infection, despite the fact that tens of millions of customers come through the door” should place it higher on the list. Retailers are reporting an increased amount of customers entering their stores without masks. In January, a woman in Sligo town was charged for violently assaulting a staff member in a shop after being asked to wear a facecovering. The proprietor of a SuperValu in Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, was left “badly shaken” after a stand-off with two customers who refused to wear masks. In both incidences, Gardaí were called. “There is a small group of persistent, aggressive anti-maskers that are creating problems,” said Buckley. “We get weekly reports of incidents in stores: people making aggressive scenes at the store entrance, when they are refused entry because they are not wearing a mask, and shouting about their rights, equality legislation and GDPR. People filming our security staff who are doing their job, acting politely, and following the store policy.” “They’re out spoiling for a fight,” added Jennings. “Rather than taking on the guards, they are taking on poor staff members in shops. It’s a minority of a minority but there isn’t a week that goes by when you don’t see them in your shops.” Buckley continued: “I just got off