Face masks to be compulsory in shops from 24 July, government announces

It will be announced by ministers today, that face masks will be mandatory in shops in England from the 24th of July.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will address the House of Commons later today and is expected to lay out these new measures for shops in England.

This new policy will apply to supermarkets and all other shops. Other locations are being kept under review.

But there are concerns about the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the next ten days as lockdown restrictions continue to ease.

In England, face coverings on public transport have been compulsory since the 15th of June.

Downing Street has said that it is up to the police to enforce such new rules, along with encouragement from shop staff. Those found to be going against such regulations could find themselves with a fine of up to £100.

This seemingly contrasts the cabinet minister, Michael Gove's comments on Sunday, where he said that face masks should not be made mandatory.

The announcement comes more than a week after Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that face-covering would be compulsory in Scottish shops.

Other countries such as Italy, Germany and Spain already have made face masks in shops a mandatory requirement from consumers. For countries such as Vietnam, the wearing of face coverings has been enforced in public areas and shops since March.

However, the government has defended its position of delaying England's change to face masks, saying that shops needed to have time to prepare for such a change.

Moreover, pressure has been mounting on the government as the evidence suggesting that masks can effectively hinder the transmission of COVID-19 grows.

A committee of scientists, the Independent Sage group, will scrutinise Downing Street's advice but advise that masks are not seen as an all-round cure for COVID-19 and that other measures such as attentive hand washing and social distancing are still followed.