Daily Mail

Masks for ALL or £200 penalty

- By Claire Ellicott Political Correspond­ent

MASKS will be mandatory for retail staff and waiters as well as for their customers when they’re not sitting down to eat or drink, Boris Johnson said yesterday.

Announcing an expansion of the use of face coverings, the Prime Minister also said that passengers in taxis would have to wear masks by law.

The fine for those not wearing a mask when required is also set to double to £200 for a first offence.

Addressing MPs yesterday, Mr Johnson said face coverings will be mandatory for those working in shops and for customers visiting indoor hospitalit­y venues from tomorrow.

Venues include pubs, restaurant­s and cafes but also all leisure and tourism settings, including hotels, and apply when a customer is not seated at a table to eat or drink.

Face coverings are already mandatory for customers in shops and museums and on public transport but will now also have to be worn in taxis by law from today. The increased

‘All leisure and tourism settings’

penalty for failing to wear a mask will also be effective from tomorrow.

Asked about pictures of the Mr Johnson arriving at Parliament yesterday in his private car without a mask, his spokesman insisted he had followed the guidelines.

Masks were made compulsory on public transport, in shops, stations, banks and post offices in July – after countries including France, Germany and Spain adopted them.

A fine of £100 for refusing to comply was introduced, though shop staff were not required to wear masks.

The decision marked a U-turn after the Government initially said masks were ineffectiv­e in halting the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisati­on and numerous studies have since suggested they are beneficial.

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