Shopping safely on the Northern Beaches, Greater Sydney and Central Coast
Coles implements additional safety measures and face masks become compulsory for Coles team members
20 December 2020
Coles has announced a range of safety measures to help keep customers and team members safe across Greater Sydney, the Northern Beaches and Central Coast.
From tomorrow, face masks have become compulsory for Coles team members working in supermarkets, liquor stores and Coles Express sites across Greater Sydney, the Northern Beaches and Central Coast.
Coles has provided all team members in impacted areas with face masks and they will be required to wear one during their shift unless a disability or medical condition prevents them from doing so.
In line with the advice of the New South Wales Chief Health Officer, Coles continues to strongly encourage all customers to wear a face covering in stores, unless age, a disability or medical condition prevents the use of face coverings. Face masks are available for purchase in Coles stores.
Coles’ standard cleaning procedures in all supermarkets, liquor stores and Coles Express sites comply with all government health and safety guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID transmission.
As an added precaution, Coles has also implemented enhanced safety and hygiene measures to help customers shop safely.
Sanitisation stations are at the entrance of all stores, which include hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes for trolleys and baskets. Coles supermarkets will have additional team members at the entrance greeting customers to remind them to use the sanitisation stations before they enter.
There are enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices of high touchpoint areas in stores, and customers are encouraged to maintain social distancing and use cashless payments when possible.
There are tips available on how customers can minimise their time in store by being a Coles Speedy Shopper, including creating a shopping list ahead of time and organising it aisle-by-aisle in their chosen store before they shop using the Coles App,
available here.
Coles has also increased service levels in supermarkets and Coles Online to help manage increased customer demand.
Coles will continue to monitor product availability and asks that customers only buy what they need to help ensure everyone in the community has access to food and everyday essentials.
Coles Chief Operations Officer Matt Swindells said the health and safety of customers and team members remains Coles’ top priority.
“We have well-established safety protocols based on what we have learned from COVID restrictions implemented in other states,” Matt said.
“Taking these immediate and additional safety measures including requiring our team members to wear face masks during their shifts and enhanced cleaning will protect and ensure our customers and team members feel safe in our stores during this busy, festive season,” Matt said.
“We have also increased the number of team members in stores and expanded our Coles Online capacity to help serve customers quickly and safely during this busy time.
“We thank our amazing teams who are working tremendously hard and we appreciate our customers for their patience and for treating our team members with respect as we work through this challenging time together.”
For more information visit the NSW Government (COVID-19) page at:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
