Dark green Waitrose sign with light green and white text titled ‘We’re so sorry..,’ and reading ‘Our counter is now closed for the day’, from Waitrose & Partners, Finchley and of the type used in Waitrose shops during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020

With COVID-19 cases rising across the United Kingdom, staff absences in supermarkets meant that non-essential services were often closed. Many found themselves working in different roles to try to keep up with growing demand but reduced supplies.

Supermarket workers were considered key workers - designated by the United Kingdom government as “critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU transition response. One scientific report concluded that supermarkets were one place where people could catch COVID-19 with people working there at higher risk.