Elderly woman 'unable to get pension after refusing to remove face mask'

AN ELDERLY woman has claimed she was unable to receive her pension from a Post Office because she refused to remove her face mask.

Rita Hatton (76), from Twinbrook in west Belfast, said she felt "embarrassed and humiliated" after being told she would not be served unless she removed her mask.

"It's my personal preference to wear a mask. No it's not compulsory but it makes me feel safer than if I hadn't," she said.

The Post Office involved described it as a "misunderstanding" and has offered to meet with the pensioner.

It said Ms Hatton was asked to temporarily pull down her face mask as staff had difficulty hearing her through a safety screen at their service counter.

A manager said the branch does not have a blanket policy requiring customers to remove face masks.

Ms Hatton, who has COPD and is a carer for her 80-year-old husband Lawrence who has health issues, said she is concerned about the coronavirus spreading to their home.

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She had gone to Lagmore Post Office on Stewartstown Road on Tuesday morning wearing her face mask, and "couldn't believe it" when she was told to remove it.

"It's really annoyed me. I'm upset and fed up about it," she said.

The pensioner later went to another Post Office nearby and said she was served without having to remove her mask.

Ms Hatton subsequently returned to the Lagmore branch to query what happened, and said she was told that customers had been asked to remove face masks due to concerns over a spate of thefts.

"I said to her, 'Do I look like a bank robber?' I was wearing a cardigan and have grey hair," she said.

Joanne Curran, manager of the Post Office branch, described it as a "misunderstanding" and offered to meet with Ms Hatton.

"We have safety glass in front of us. The girl that was serving her couldn't hear her. She asked her if she could pull it [the mask] down a bit," she said.

"We don't really have a policy. The girl in the Post Office couldn't hear her."

Ms Curran said their premises, which includes a filling station and grocery shop, has thousands of customers each day.

In an additional statement, the Post Office said: "We're sorry to hear that a customer had an unsatisfactory visit to our Lagmore branch."

It said its postmasters have been provided with guidance on how to "keep themselves and customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic".

"The customer was being served at a counter with a full screen and the member of staff was also having difficulty hearing the customer due to the mask and this was the key reason for asking for the mask to be temporarily removed," it added.

"It is important that our postmasters and staff feel safe working in a branch and a customer concealing most of their face can cause staff to feel anxious if they cannot identify someone."