SUPERMARKET chain Aldi has become the latest supermarket to make it compulsory for shoppers to wear face masks to be allowed into stores.

The chain has joined Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's in stopping shoppers from coming into stores unless they are wearing a suitable face covering.

As with the other supermarkets, people with medical exemptions will not be required to wear a mask, but all others will be required to wear a covering or be denied entry.

Giles Hurley, chief executive at Aldi UK, said: "The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority.

"Wearing a mask is mandatory for everyone that shops at Aldi, except for the small number of people who have a medical exemption."

The shop is offering free masks to shoppers who forget to bring their own for a limited period, but anyone who refuses to wear a mask will not be permitted to enter the store.

Aldi is also urging shoppers to come along where possible to reduce the number of people in store and make social distancing easier.

MORE: Morrisons says 'anti-maskers' not allowed in stores

Waitrose, which has stores in Otley and at Hartshead Services on the M62 between Junctions 25 and 26, will also make face masks mandatory. John Lewis, part of the same group, has a store in Leeds city centre and has also stopped click-and-collect services.

Andrew Murphy, group operations director at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We’ve listened carefully to the clear change in tone and emphasis of the views and information shared by the UK’s governments in recent days.

“While we recognise that the detail of formal guidance has not changed, we feel it is right for us – and in the best interests of our partners and customers – to take proactive steps to further enhance our Covid security and related operational policies.

“By insisting on the wearing of face coverings, over and above the social distancing measures we already have in place, we aim to make our shops even safer for customers.”