Will face masks be mandatory in the UK? Latest updates ahead of Government announcement
13 July 2020, 12:40
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hinted that face coverings could become mandatory in shops amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has made face coverings in shops mandatory in Scotland from this week.
Now, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be considering the same conditions for England.
The Government are said to be announcing their plans around making face coverings mandatory later this week, but what do we know so far?
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What has Boris Johnson said about face coverings and will they be mandatory in the UK?
Boris Johnson has said that wearing face masks in stores is "very important", and is said to now be considering making them mandatory for shoppers.
Speaking in a Facebook Q&A last week, the Prime Minister said: "We are looking at ways of making sure that people really do have face coverings in shops."
On July 13, during a visit to a London Ambulance Centre, Boris told Sky News that as the cases of COVID-19 come down, face mask can be used as "an extra insurance".
He said: "Face masks are an extra insurance that we can use to stop it coming back and stop it getting out of control again."
When will the Government announce the new rules of face coverings?
Over the next few days, the Government are expected to be making an announcement around new face covering guidelines.
There is not yet a date or time for the announcement, but we will update this with the latest information.
What are the current face covering rules in the UK?
At the moment, the UK rules state that every person should wear a face covering while on public transport.
In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon bought in newer rules that mean people must wear face coverings when in shops.
The announcement was made last week, and comes into effect from July 10.
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