Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what the responsibilities of pharmacies are in respect of their duties to employees and the public in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pharmacy employers’ responsibilities to their staff are outlined in Public Health England (PHE) COVID-19 employers and business guidance, encouraging measures such as regular hand washing, frequently disinfecting surfaces/objects that are touched, not attending work if symptomatic and working side by side or face away from each other when unable to remain two metres apart. Reasonable adjustments should be made to the pharmacy layout and working pattern to enable two metres distancing between staff and patients. PHE personal protective equipment guidance states that where social distancing cannot be maintained from patients, the sessional use of a fluid-resistant surgical mask is recommended.