Flintshire Councillor voices frustration over people failing to sanitise hands in supermarkets

A Flintshire councillor has voiced his frustration over people’s failure to wash their hands on their way into supermarkets.

Hand sanitiser stations have been set up at the entrance to stores across the UK since the coronavirus pandemic began.

It follows advice from the NHS that washing your hands is a key part of preventing the spread of viruses such as Covid-19.

However, Flint Trelawny councillor Paul Cunningham said he had witnessed a number of shoppers ignoring the hygiene facilities provided in supermarkets.

He claimed the situation had got worse since the start of the pandemic, when there was more public messaging to encourage hand washing.

Speaking at a virtual scrutiny committee meeting held today (Thursday, 22 October), he said: “People don’t seem to be washing their hands and people certainly don’t use the sanitising stations when they go into supermarkets.

“These are just basic things that people should be doing to stem this pandemic and it’s basic hygiene.

“They make things for people to sanitise their trollies and they just disregard it.

“I’m not just talking about young people; it goes right across the board.”

Are you still washing your hands regularly?

We've gotten used to seeing hand cleaning stations in public spaces but we must remember to keep on top of it at all times- even at home.

Help reduce the spread of coronavirus and protect yourself and others. pic.twitter.com/eW3ZQd8WIu

— Public Health Wales (@PublicHealthW) October 20, 2020

He added: “People of our age should know better but walk into supermarkets without doing this.

“It really gets me mad and sometimes I go over the top with my expletives.”

During the meeting, members of the local authority’s social and health care scrutiny committee were told hospitals and care homes in the area had witnessed an increase in cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks.

Flintshire is one of four counties in North Wales which was put under local lockdown restrictions earlier this month due to a rise in infections, along with the city of Bangor in Gwynedd.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Government is set to implement a national “fire-break” lockdown tomorrow, similar to the restrictions introduced in March.

Despite the challenges, the council’s chief officer for social services said health and social care services in the county had still been kept running.

Neil Ayling said: “The recent incidence of increases in Covid have impacted on care homes and on social care establishments as they have on other parts of the community.

“We do have higher numbers of red care homes, where there’s been an instance of Covid which prevents further admissions to that home.

“That is stabilising and that’s been the case across North Wales.

“We are managing to keep services going and keep admissions from hospital where needed.”

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).