Wearing face coverings in shops in England will now be mandatory from 24 July. Those who don’t comply with the new laws could face a fine of up to £100. This will be reduced to £50 if paid within 40 days. As it stands, face masks are already compulsory on public transport but the shift to using masks in shops is seen as a big move from government uncertainty over their use back in March. The use of face coverings is already compulsory in shops in Scotland but Wales is yet to introduce this law, indicating the varied opinions between different regions.
Today’s announcement, by Matt Hancock, comes after much speculation that the government was shifting towards face coverings become a preferred feature in our everyday lives to minimise the Covid-19 spread. This decision lies in stark contrast with the government’s rhetoric back in March when they suggested that face masks should be reserved only for clinical settings and that, if anything, masks could potentially worsen the spread of the disease if they weren’t used properly.
PM says face masks “should be worn in shops” after days of confusion – BBC News – YouTube – confirmed tonight now Govt will announce compulsory face masks in shops in england tmrw https://t.co/DtidyC5HaG
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) July 13, 2020
Lauren McGaun asked our contributors what they thought of today’s announcement.
Whilst many are pleased with today’s announcement, some thought it should have been implemented a lot earlier:
I’m really pleased that the government has finally announced this, but I think it should come into force now rather than on the 24th. Surely it’ll just get worse by the time the masks become mandatory! Not only will it make us all feel safer, but the infection rate is 1.5% when you come into contact with someone who has the virus and you’re both wearing masks – which I think is really reassuring! – Katie Wheatley
“the government appears to be repeating the same mistakes by failing to enforce rules early.”
I’m glad that it’s now becoming a mandatory thing, but why should it have to me implemented until the end of the month? I understand members of the public may want to purchase masks in that time however, DIY face covering tutorials are available as well between now and the 24th July. As someone who has been wearing a mask often when out in public it will make me feel less embarrassed by the thought of wearing one – which I know seems daft! It definitely makes me feel safer and I feel that I’m protecting others when wearing one. – Grace Thompson
I work in a school uniform shop where we have to get up close with customers and have one on one appointments. Whilst some customers wear masks, not everyone does which is definitely a source of anxiety in the workplace as previously we weren’t able to tell people that they should be wearing masks. I now will feel a lot safer in the workplace, however I feel that this has come about far later than it should have, and the government appears to be repeating the same mistakes by failing to enforce rules early. – Izzy Walker
I am glad that the government has finally made this mandatory, however, I feel like it should have been implemented sooner and the fact that they are not enforcing it for another week and a half questions how concerned they actually are about our health and whether it is just an attempt to quell public anger and discontent. – Madeleine Raine
I’m glad that this has been made mandatory, it can’t come soon enough in my opinion and should of been done a lot earlier. New research published in the Physics of Fluids journal (2020) found that “uncovered emulated coughs were able to travel notably farther than the currently recommended 6-ft distancing guideline”. Therefore, well-fitted face coverings really can be an effective spread prevention, even whilst properly social distancing, as masks minimise the dispersion of these droplets. – Jessica Morris
“one of the biggest challenges I have faced throughout the pandemic is ensuring that customers who don’t care about Covid-19 do not make other customers or staff members feel unsafe.”
Others have been more hestitant about face masks being made mandatory:
I work in my local shop and honestly, I’m nervous about face coverings becoming mandatory. Whilst the Government say the onus isn’t on shopkeepers or staff to enforce the rule, I’m already anticipating it becoming my responsibility to tell every customer they must be wearing a mask. I am already mentally preparing myself for daily confrontations with customers who refuse to wear masks and I know that my shifts are going to become much more stressful from the 24th July. – Charlotte King
As someone who works in a shop, one of the biggest challenges I have faced throughout the pandemic is ensuring that customers who don’t care about Covid-19 do not make other customers or staff members feel unsafe. Therefore, I think that making face coverings mandatory gives staff members far greater authority to ensure that customers are protecting themselves and each other. However, I am very concerned about the further environmental damage that will inevitably be caused by increased numbers of people buying single-use masks. Therefore I think that the government should strongly encourage people to purchase reusable ones, and leave disposable PPE for those who really need it, like doctors and other healthcare workers. – Evie Taylor
How ever many of our contributors do still have mixed feelings on the issue:
On the whole, I think making the use of face coverings compulsory in shops is a positive step in order to minimise the risk. Ultimately an extra layer of protection seems better than no protection at all. However, I do feel as though there are risks involved. By people wearing face masks, it could lead them to feel more comfortable not observing social distancing and stop them from carrying out the other necessary steps to avoid the spread of the virus. I also feel as though the government guidance on face coverings should have been clearer from the start as many are unlikely to follow the guidance if they don’t believe in the importance of wearing face coverings. – Lauren McGaun
As someone who works in a shop I have quite mixed feelings. One the one hand it’s good, particularly since social distancing has pretty much gone out the window so it’s a little added protection. However I know there’ll be many customers who don’t wear them and there won’t be repercussions despite the unrealistic threat of fines and personally I’m not looking forward to having to wear one for 9 hours at a time. Overall I think it’s a good thing but I’d personally have preferred to just keep social distancing measures enforced better and for longer. I hope for my own comfort at work that they become optional again as soon as possible, but of course that relies on everyone else being sensible and continuing to try and stop the spread of the virus. – Louisa Merrick White
Whilst the science on face coverings is still mixed, many are likely to make choices based on their own common sense, with not everyone sticking wholeheartedly to the government guidance. There is more consensus emerging now, however, suggesting it is worth making face coverings compulsory in order to have an extra layer of protection, if notthing else. In the coming weeks, lots of attention will be placed on Wales to see if they’ll follow suit, so that there is a more uniform consensus on the scientific value of face coverings.
Lauren McGaun
Featured image courtesy of Number 10 on Flickr.