‘WEARING A FACE MASK COULD SOON BE THE LAW’
Health chief’s warning as coronavirus rates on increase in the city
STOKE-ON-TRENT’S top health boss fears there could be a compulsory return of face masks as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the city.
Dr Paul Edmondsonjones, right, says the current number of infections in the Potteries and the rest of England is ‘unsustainable’.
And while he is reluctant to make people cover their faces to reduce the spread, he fears there could be a Christmas lockdown if action isn’t taken soon.
Latest figures show the city saw 1,387 cases in the last week to give an infection rate of 540.5 per 100,000 residents.
It means Stoke-on-trent is the 42nd worst hit local authority area in England. Dr Edmondson-jones said: “My personal opinion is that if we can’t increase the percentage wearing masks voluntarily then it will have to become compulsory at some point soon. We can’t sustain these rates.
“I don’t understand why people can’t do the simple basic things so that we don’t risk another lockdown.” His concerns come as a leaked Whitehall memo suggest Government officials are considering an ‘immediate’ rollout of Plan B Covid-19 restrictions.
This could mean the return of working from home, vaccine passports for nightclubs and face masks becoming a legal requirement once again.
The email was sent from the UK Health Security Agency to local council leaders and directors of Public Health last week, it is claimed.
According to a national newspaper, an official wrote: “I have been asked to canvas opinion on the level of support for immediate roll out of the Winter Plan – Plan B.”
Days earlier, Health Secretary Sajid Javid refused to trigger Plan B, despite a rise in infections.
He told a No10 press conference it was right to hold back on Plan B, because pressure on the NHS isn’t ‘unsustainable’ yet.
That was despite the NHS Confederation begging for a ‘Plan B plus’ to avoid the nation stumbling into a ‘winter crisis.’