Many keep calm ...and carry on wearing masks
THE nation was able to unmask yesterday as Plan B restrictions were lifted – but not everyone was following the new freedom.
Officially, both face coverings and Covid passes were no longer legally required in England.
However, huge numbers of commuters in London were happy to follow the plea from rail chiefs to keep wearing masks.
And among shoppers in Newcastle, retired Carol Grant, 74, said: “It’s not nice and I feel like I can’t breathe but it’s worth it for safety.”
Patrick Tait, a 20-year-old politics student at Newcastle University, said: “It seems reasonable to keep wearing them for others. If someone else is wearing one or they’re elderly I’ll put one on.
Judgment
“I’m young and healthy, I’ve had other strains, which are supposedly more dangerous than Omicron, so I do it for others.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said masks would now be “a matter of personal judgment”.
Alan Thomas, UK boss at Simply Business, said hard-pressed small business owners would “be breathing a sigh of relief”.
But Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and John Lewis urged customers to continue wearing them.
And British Retail Consortium boss Helen Dickinson called on shoppers “to be considerate to those around them”. In the entertainment world, Julian Bird, boss of UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre, said he backed masks despite bookings plummeting this year.
He said it was “to protect our hard-working staff, performers and fellow audience members”.
Sajid Javid said “Freedom Day” was possible due to the vaccine rollout and a better understanding of Covid treatments.
The Health Secretary added: “As we learn to live with Covid, we need to be clear-eyed that this virus is not going away, so if you haven’t already, please come forward for your first, second or booster jab.”
The UK Health Security Agency also issued a plea for pregnant women to get vaccinated. It follows new data that found getting the jab did not harm babies.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, a UKHSA epidemiologist, said: “There is growing evidence indicating that if you are pregnant, you are at increased risk of serious illness from Covid-19, especially in late pregnancy.”
The agency also said the booster jab cuts the risk of death from Omicron for all.
It said protection was 60 per cent for those 50 and over about six months after a second dose – but soars to 95 per cent after the third jab.
Some 96,871 new Covid infections were recorded yesterday and 338 deaths.