Boris Johnson says face masks should be worn in shops in England
Boris Johnson has urged the public in England to wear masks in shops as an “extra insurance policy” against the coronavirus, and said the government would issue fresh guidance on the issue this week.
The prime minister said the evidence “has been growing” on the effectiveness of wearing masks in public spaces, after coming under pressure to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory in England in line with the more stringent guidance in Scotland.
He told Sky News the government would be looking at the scientific evidence and “saying more in the next few days”.
“The scientific evidence of face coverings, and the importance of stopping aerosol droplets; that’s been growing,” Johhnson said. “So I do think that in shops it is very important to wear a face covering.”
He added: “Face coverings are an extra insurance we can all use to stop it coming back, and stop it getting out of control again.”
Asked specifically whether face coverings would be made mandatory in shops in England, as they already are on public transport, he said the government was considering what “tools of enforcement” would be used to increase compliance.
Johnson was photographed wearing a face covering for the first time on Friday, coinciding with an information campaign from the government to nudge people to wear masks in shops.
The government had come under pressure to clarify the rules. The prime minister had hinted on Friday of a stricter regime – but the cabinet office minister, Michael Gove, said on Sunday he thought masks should not be mandatory.
“I don’t think mandatory, no, but I would encourage people to wear a face mask, where they are inside, in an environment where they are likely to be mixing with others and the ventilation may not be as good as it might,” Gove said.
“It is basic good manners, courtesy and consideration to wear a face mask if, for example, you’re in a shop.”
Johnson also said he would be having a “staycation”, this year, rather than travelling abroad.
“There are fantastic, peerless, wonderful, superlative places in the UK to go on holiday, and that is certainly what I will be doing,” he said.