Face coverings to be made compulsory in England

[Redolent]

Sky News just reporting that from Friday 24 July it will be mandatory to wear a face mask in shops/stores in England. Fines of £100 if you don’t (reduces to £50 if payable within 2 weeks).

[YellowandGreenToBeSeen]

Good. Apart from those who need an exemption for medical / diagnosed issues, I’m pleased. Cuts out any ambiguity.

[crosseyedMary]

Good

[lljkk]

damn, having said I'm bored by face covers, I do have one Qstn. Will the compulsory order apply to someone walking over to sit on a patio at a pub restaurant, supposing you could walk onto the garden patio completely from the outside, no need to enter a building?

What are the likely rules?

[Soontobe60]

Bloody ridiculous. If we didn’t have to wear them at the height of the pandemic what’s different now? The number of idiots I see wearing masks under their chins, pulling them up to scratch their nose or cough, then touch things. Masks give a false sense of safety.

[lpchill]

I'm just struggling to understand that I'm not allowed to wear a mask when I'm working in an infant school (so social distancing doesn't exists- only keeping bubbles separated) but even a two minute pop to the shops I have to wear a mask even if I'm socially distanced 2meters?

[480Widdio]

Good.

[Iverunoutofnames]

But people can literally stand right behind you in queues and get in your personal space though and that’s fine?
I’m not anti mask but I think distance is much more important, especially as people don’t know how to use masks properly anyway.

[BananaPop2020]

😕

[NothingIsWrong]

There goes distancing then. I've already experienced those wearing masks thinking they don't have to bother.

I won't be going back to the high street now

[YellowandGreenToBeSeen]

Masks don’t give me a false sense of security. I don’t touch my face with one on, lean over people or disregard social distancing. Sweeping statements aren’t helpful (mask wearing is).

[lljkk]

Precursor to announcement they will be compulsory in secondary school & university lessons, I imagine.

I wonder if things like Scouts or Brownies will ever start again. Guides are financially cushioned but Scouts were run on shoe string already. How will they manage without subs?

[AllTheUserNamesAreTaken]

Like the pp I don’t understand the point of making them compulsory now when the prevalence is 1 in 3600 people yet they didn’t do it when it was much higher!

I suppose BJ has to be seen to be doing something

[Shakirasma]

Good

[GalesThisMorning]

Good. I know a lot of people on here get incensed by masks but really it will be fine.

[okiedokieme]

Just booked a delivery slot, can't stand the feel on my face, I will not be going shopping. The shops aren't busy, easy to stay 5m away from others here and I'm not going to non essential type shops anyway, don't need anything. I did wear one on the train and it hurt my ears, really painful after about an hour (and it was a 4 hour journey)

[browneyesblue]

Scouts seem to be preparing to start again in our area - there’s an online meeting with parents. We have voluntarily paid subs, and meetings have continued over zoom.

[Rhine]

Good.

[Rosehip10]

Most people wearing the blue paper type masks seem to wear them under their nose, defeating the point of wearing it.

[YellowandGreenToBeSeen]

They’re needed because the government fucked up the messaging with regards to loosening lockdown. You only have to see they myriad of ‘can I hug my mum?’ / ‘I’m having loads of people round this weekend, whoopee!’ threads to see that everyone interprets the guidelines differently. The warning from our SAGE medics and the WHO couldn’t be clearer - it hasn’t gone away and not following guidelines will see a rise in infection.

The mandatory mask wearing is to try and counter this.

[EmMac7]

Thank god. I’ll finally be able to go to the supermarket again.

[Hopingforsummer1]

Are children under 11 still exempt?

[justanotherneighinparadise]

I have a feeling mandatory masks will happen and then social distancing will ease.

[lljkk]

Hong Kong is failing to keep summer schools open.

HK Public gatherings currently limited to 4 people.

Singapore struggling to figure out how to reopen its schools.

Well if they can't keep steady education going, I doubt UK will either. "universal" face covers not doing enough to help.

[Theromanempire]

Can anyone explain how the police will enforce it/issue fines? The shop managers can't be ringing the police every time someone isn't wearing one and surely the customer would just leave rather than hang around and wait to be issued with a fine?

[AlecTrevelyan006]

final nail in the coffin for the high street