Where in the UK are face coverings mandatory?
Face coverings have become commonplace.
Speculation over where face coverings might become mandatory in the UK has been ramped up amid reports that masks could become compulsory in shops within days.
According to the reports Boris Johnson is expected to tell the Commons this week that masks will be necessary in other parts of public life in order to encourage ‘more normal’ living as lockdown eases.
However Michael Gove has said that he doesn’t believe masks need to be made mandatory in confined indoor spaces such as shops, but described wearing one as ‘good manners’.
‘My view is it is always better to trust people’s common sense, to give them a clear sense of what is wise and I think individuals and businesses are responding well to that lead,’ he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
Just where in the UK is it currently mandatory to wear face coverings, however?
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Where in the UK are face coverings mandatory?
At present face coverings are only mandatory in England on public transport and in hospitals.
The measures apply to all passengers travelling on buses, coaches, trams, trains, ferries and aircraft, and came into force on 15 June.
Meanwhile, it is also now mandatory to wear face coverings in shops in Scotland.
Boris Johnson spoke about the possibility of following Scotland’s lead, saying in the Commons on Friday:
‘I do think we need to be stricter in insisting people wear face coverings in confined spaces where they are meeting people they don’t normally meet.
‘We are looking at ways of making sure that people really do have face coverings in shops, for instance, where there is a risk of transmission.’
Dr Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the PM was ‘right’ to be reviewing England’s position on face coverings. He said shops may be an example of a place where it is not possible to maintain social distancing.
He continued: ‘However, if it is mandated to wear them in shops, this raises the issue of whether they should be mandated in other contexts.’
He went on to point out that wearing a mask did not guarantee automatic protection from the virus, and that even with a face covering people should continue to social distance and wash their hands regularly.
MORE: Twenty areas potentially facing new local lockdowns revealed in leaked document
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