Petition · past parliament
Grocery stores and pharmacies must enforce social distancing measures.
Rejected
12 signatures
What the petition asks
Although the UK is in lock down, stores providing basic essentials are not effectively enforcing staff and customers to practice social distancing of 2 meters. Grocery stores are crowded, rows of self serve tills fully occupied, and staff are not advising customers to keep distance.
The government should make stores accountable for ensuring social distancing measures are being practiced or else face repercussions, similar to the measures taken for people out on the street.
Customers at any given point should be limited based on the size of the store, the layout, and the number of staff restocking the shelves.
Customers at any given point should be limited based on the size of the store, the layout, and the number of staff restocking the shelves.
Why it was rejected
The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.
Since you started your petition the Government has published guidance for food businesses, including supermarkets, on how to maintain social distancing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-food-businesses/guidance-for-food-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19
The Government has said that pharmacists will be updated by letters from the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, which are being published on the NHS England/Improvement website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/preparedness-letters-for-community-pharmacy/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
The Government has said that pharmacists will be updated by letters from the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, which are being published on the NHS England/Improvement website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/preparedness-letters-for-community-pharmacy/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 23 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 Apr 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
12
Status
Rejected
Rejected
29 Apr 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.