THE MASKS LINGER

Warnings that face-covering rules will remain in force until a vaccine is found

FACE masks could be compulsory in shops until a vaccine is found – next year at the earliest.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday confirmed they will be mandatory from

July 24. But stretched police chiefs warned imposing the law would be “nigh-on impossible”.

WITH a coronavirus vaccine a long way off being developed, people were last night warned to get used to wearing face masks in public.

But after Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday confirmed the coverings will be made compulsory in shops from July 24, members of his own party led a backlash against the move.

And the confusion continued as police chiefs warned it would be almost impossible for officers to enforce the rule, which carries a fine of up to £100 if breached.

Shopworkers union Usdaw warned staff must not be expected to impose the law as many were already “dealing with more abuse than normal”.

Stores have been told to refuse entry to people without face masks, or call police if they try to enter without one. But Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “It will be nigh-on impossible for enforcement because you won’t have a police officer on every shop door because there isn’t enough of us.”

National Police

Chiefs’ Council chairman Martin

Hewitt added forces were “unaware” the announcement about the new rule was coming on Monday night.

The rule also angered grassroots Tories, with some activists cutting up their membership cards and posting images on Twitter.

One, Dominey Jenner, 42, of Wimbledon, South West London, said: “I’m really angry at how the

Government has invoked fear in its population to control people. I think people should be trusted, I think we should be given a choice.”

Conservative backbencher Sir Desmond Swayne said the enforced wearing of masks was a “monstrous imposition” that would put him off going to the shops, and warned that his New Forest West constituents were “outraged”.

The hashtag NoMasks and the word “muzzles” were also trending on social media. Mr Hancock claimed making the public wear coverings will give them “more confidence” to shop as the Government attempts to shore up the battered economy.

Deaths among shop workers were 75% higher for men and 60% higher for women than among the general public, prompting the need for better protections in retail outlets, he added.

Mr Hancock refused to say how long the ruling would last.

But one Cabinet source said: “We are not doing this with a timeline in mind. This is part of the new normal. Until we get a vaccine we are going to have to be doing a lot of these things.

“We are not going to be doing this for a few weeks and then giving up.”

Another source added: “I don’t think anybody can know how long it will be but assume we’ll be wearing masks for a while.”

Experts believe Covid-19 eradication is impossible without having a working vaccine, which is not likely to be rolled out until next year at the earliest. The British

Medical Association’s Dr David

Strain said: “We need masks to slow the spread and make life safer for the most vulnerable to go about essential activities.

“Yesterday more than 500 people tested positive for the virus, which the ONS figures suggest is only about a third of the true number of new cases in the UK. The remaining two thirds

with the virus are the ‘silent spreaders’, people who carry and can spread the virus despite having no symptoms. “The mandatory use of face masks will reduce the risk to the population at large from these individuals.” Leicester University respiratory scientist Dr Julian Tang added: “Most of the world’s population is still susceptible to this virus, and we are still not sure how long any post-infection immunity will last.

“So if people can get used to all these precautions now, it will reduce the numbers of Covid-19 deaths long-term.” But it seemed not all Tories are following the health advice. Cabinet minister Michael Gove was spotted at a cafe near Westminster yesterday without a mask – less than 48 hours after urging Brits to cover up in stores. However Trade Secretary Liz Truss did wear one to grab a snack.

The move brings the UK in line with 120 countries where masks are required in public spaces, including Scotland, Spain and Germany.

Children under 11 and people with certain disabilities are exempt from the ruling on face masks in shops.

And the coverings have not yet been made mandatory in shops in Wales because coronavirus is at its “lowest ebb” in the country, Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said.

It comes after scientists warned that the UK could face as many as 120,000 new coronavirus deaths from the disease without any further lockdowns, treatments or vaccines, with hospitals and care homes overwhelmed during winter flu season.

The UK’s daily death toll yesterday rose by 138 to 44,968, although the true figure is believed to be higher.