Britain is concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in supermarkets and particularly people breaching rules by not wearing masks while shopping in them, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday.

“We are concerned that, for example, in supermarkets we need to make sure people actually wear masks and follow the one-way system, and when they are at capacity to operate safely, people wait outside,” he told Sky News.

But Zahawi stopped short of saying enforcement of the rules should be the responsibility of the supermarkets rather than individuals.

“Our plea is to everybody, each and everyone of us. These rules are not boundaries to be pushed against. These rules are there to try and make sure we bring this virus under control,” he said.

“The most important thing to do now is to make sure that… compliance with the rules when people are going into supermarkets are being adhered to.”

Zahawi also praised supermarkets for doing “a tremendous job” in serving their communities and offering facilities for the vaccination roll-out.