Cheshire Oaks general manager on new face mask rules

From tomorrow (July 24) it is mandatory for people to wear face coverings in shops and Mr Murray fully expects visitors to adhere to the changes.

He says they also "highly recommend" that shoppers wear their masks while walking outdoors around the Ellesmere Port complex, although it isn't compulsory to do so.

Speaking to The Standard, Mr Murray said: "The key thing is we're a big employer, we employ a lot of people and have a lot of guests.

"Their safety and wellbeing is our number one priority. The face masks are a way of improving it and we will embrace it."

• Cheshire Oaks reopens after nearly three months
• Cheshire Oaks to extend operating hours after "positive" response to reopening

Cheshire Oaks reopened on June 15 with a number of coronavirus safety measures in place including a reduced car park capacity of 50% and limited numbers allowed inside stores at one time.

When shops are operating at full capacity, visitors are required to queue outside stores while adhering to social distancing rules.

Mr Murray revealed that the centre has performed better than anticipated since reopening, adding that there are no "immediate aspirations" to return to full capacity.

Here is what he said:

What do you expect from people visiting the centre when the new rules come in tomorrow?

"The key change tomorrow is that it becomes mandatory once you visit the centre and go into a shop that you must have a mask on.

"We're lucky that we're an outdoor centre and when you're here you get to enjoy the fresh air. However, we highly recommend that people wear a mask at all times.

"We feel it's another step to reassuring people of their safety and wellbeing. That's our big focus – the safety of our guests.

"The key thing is we're a big employer, we employ a lot of people and have a lot of guests.

"Their safety and wellbeing is our number one priority. The face masks are a way of improving it and we will embrace it."

How will you deal with people who don't wear a mask?

"Whether it be social distancing or people wearing masks, we expect guests to follow the rules.

"We are expecting that some people will forget to bring a mask and we will help them with that.

"We have a limited number of masks but we will help those without one. We understand it's another shift change but the key thing is people adhere to it."

What about people who are exempt from wearing a mask, such as those with disabilities?

"We work on a basis of trust. Not all disabilities you can see.

"We don't want to upset or offend anyone which is why we work on a basis of trust.

"We are sure our guests will adhere to the Government guidelines."

When are you expecting the centre to return to normal capacity?

"No one had gone through anything like this before. We've continued to evolve and improve over the last six weeks since we reopened.

"For us, slow and steady is the approach. We have no immediate aspirations to get back to full capacity.

"It's not about how fast we can get back to pre-Covid levels.

"We're pleased with our performance so far and we're actually ahead of our original expectations.

"People's shopping habits have changed and part of our reason for going back to the normal trading hours was to give people the opportunity to spread out their visits.

"A lot of people want to avoid peak times and that gives them the ability to do that."