Boots.com sees over 650%* surge in sales of face coverings as government announces they are to be made compulsory when shopping in England now, as well as in Scotland

Ahead of face coverings becoming compulsory in shops in England from next week, Boots has seen a surge in demand, with sales increasing by over 650% since the government announcement. Boots has recently launched a number of disposable and re-usable face coverings, suitable for all of the family. See below for examples, including value packs of masks for adults, fun children’s masks and reusable fashion designer masks from some of the UK’s biggest names in fashion.

Shopping with a face covering is something that might take a bit of getting used to, so Boots UK Chief Pharmacist, Marc Donovan, has shared all you need to know about how to wear a face covering correctly.

• Wash your hands well, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water before putting on the face covering. Alternatively, clean your hands with hand sanitiser
• Fit the covering so that it is placed comfortably, but securely, over your mouth and nose whilst still allowing you to breathe easily.
• If you wear glasses, try placing them over the top edge of the face covering to help prevent them from steaming up
• Avoid touching the front of the face covering whilst wearing it
• Change the covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it
• Cleanse your hands again before removing and don’t touch the front whilst removing
• Dispose of single use face masks in the household waste
• Wash and dry reusable face coverings after each use, according to instructions
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser once removed

Marc adds: “Customers wearing face coverings in store will help reduce the overall risk of spreading the virus, making shopping an even safer experience for both our colleagues and customers. Although wearing a face covering when shopping is an extra safety measure, it is important to remember that they should not be used as a replacement for social distancing and other hygiene measures. When not wearing a mask, it is very important to continue to wash your hands regularly, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue if you cough or sneeze and to avoid touching your face.”

Select Boots stores and Boots.com have a wide variety of different face coverings and masks available with fresh stock hitting the website on a daily basis.

Notes to Editors: 
For more information or if you have any questions for Boots Chief Pharmacist, Marc Donovan, please contact bootshealth@apteamwpp.com  

About Boots UK

Boots UK (boots.com), the UK’s largest pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, is part of the Retail Pharmacy International Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. With 2,465* stores in the UK, its purpose is to champion everyone’s right to feel good. Boots UK is committed to providing exceptional customer and patient care, be the first choice for pharmacy and healthcare and offer innovative 'only at Boots' exclusive products such as No7, a leading UK skincare brand, Soap and Glory and Liz Earle. Created 170 years ago, the Boots brand is still at the heart of the communities it serves. *As of August 31, 2019 excluding equity method investments