UK non-profit RNIB is calling for people who are blind or have low vision to be included as a priority group to access online shopping.
RNIB Scotland has written to Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, urging him to make the change, reports NHM.
“As the challenges of food shopping have increased amid the uncertainty around Covid-19, several UK supermarkets have prioritised opening at certain times of the day for vulnerable and older people” in the letter James Adams, Director RNIB.
“However, this vulnerable category is restricted to people who were identified as being at severe risk of medical illness from Covid-19, and does not account for people with sight loss, who have been facing severe issues accessing food.
“Blind and partially sighted people often rely on a combination of touch and guiding from another person to navigate. But the current unprecedented demand on supermarkets make this much more challenging.
“The additional touching of goods in supermarkets increases the possibilities of transmitting Covid-19.”
