After Morrisons revealed that they would be taking a stricter approach on face masks, five more UK supermarkets have stepped up to tighten restrictions.

The supermarkets will be refusing entry to any customer who fails to follow store rules.

Health secretary Matt Hancock praised Morrisons for their decision. He said: “I applaud the action Morrisons has taken today, the supermarket, they have said that they will not let people in without a mask unless they clearly have a medical reason.

“That’s the right approach and I want to see all parts of society playing their part in this.”

Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Sainsbury's and Waitrose are the latest to tighten their rules around shoppers wearing face coverings, stating that shoppers without medical exemptions will be refused entry to their stores.

Shoppers must also enter the store alone when visiting Sainsbury's.

An Asda spokesperson said: “If a customer has forgotten their face covering, we will continue to offer them one free of charge.

“But should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so, our security colleagues will refuse their entry.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are also asking our customers to shop alone, unless they’re a carer or with children.

“To support our colleagues, we will have additional security in stores to help manage this.”