Don’t dump your masks! Boris Johnson warns caution is still vital after July 19
‘Masks must stay’! Boris Johnson warns caution is still vital and people should ‘expect’ to keep wearing coverings indoors and on trains even after July 19 – with no dash back to work
- The Prime Minister will confirm plans to end most Covid laws next Monday
- But he said that the plan to restore our freedoms ‘must come with a warning’
- Despite alleged ‘freedom day’ the PM will also publish new ‘guidance’ on safety
Boris Johnson will today warn that people should ‘expect’ to keep wearing masks in enclosed spaces such as supermarkets and trains even after Covid restrictions are lifted on July 19.
The Prime Minister will use a Downing Street press conference this afternoon to confirm plans to end most Covid laws next Monday, despite surging cases.
But last night he said that the plan to restore our freedoms ‘must come with a warning’.
The PM said that cases will inevitably continue to rise as restrictions are eased, adding: ‘Caution is absolutely vital, and we must all take responsibility so we don’t undo our progress, ensuring we continue to protect our NHS.’
It comes as Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, insisted people should continue to work from home and try to social distance after July 19.
The ‘Freedom Day’ was meant to herald a return to normality but the PM will also publish new ‘guidance’ setting out precautions people should continue to take.
Mr Johnson will say England is ‘tantalisingly close to the final milestone in our road map out of lockdown, but the plan to restore our freedoms must come with a warning.’
He will insist that vaccinations have ‘weakened’ the link between Covid infections and hospital admissions, while warning ‘the global pandemic is not over yet.’
However, the PM has dropped claims that the end of Covid restrictions is ‘irreversible’ following warnings from top scientists that easing restrictions could end in disaster.
Boris Johnson will today warn that people should ‘expect’ to keep wearing masks in enclosed spaces such as supermarkets and trains even after Covid restrictions are lifted on July 19
The latest Covid development comes as:
- No 10 issued figures showing Covid vaccines have saved 30,000 lives and prevented 8.5million infections in England alone.
- Dr Hopkins warned that hospitalisations could soar to 4,000 a day by the end of the summer, the same level as at the peak in January.
- Another 31,772 new Covid cases were recorded but there were signs the rate of growth is slowing and the 26 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours are a fraction of the toll seen at the peak of the pandemic.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday said there would now be a clear ‘expectation’ that people should continue to wear face masks in crowded indoor settings.
He added that it is ‘important that we remain cautious’, but insisted he is ‘confident that we can proceed with this step forward’ because 87 per cent of adults have now had a first vaccine dose.
Labour have warned that dropping laws requiring masks is a ‘recipe for confusion’ that risks potential confrontations between those with differing views on the matter.
But Mr Zahawi said vaccinations had ‘severely weakened’ the link between Covid infections and hospitalisations. He did, however, refuse to repeat Mr Johnson’s assertion it had been ‘severed.’
Last week, Mr Johnson said that mask wearing would become ‘a personal choice’ after July 19
The Prime Minister will use a Downing Street press conference this afternoon to confirm plans to end most Covid laws next Monday, despite surging cases
He added that Britons should ‘do the right thing’ in regards to face coverings, telling Times Radio: ‘Indoors, in crowded carriages, the very clear guidelines will be that you’re expected to wear a mask.’
Health Secretary Sajid Javid struck a harder line on masks in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph today, saying people would be ‘irresponsible’ not to wear one in a crowded space.
‘If someone is not doing that, frankly, they’re just being irresponsible, they’re not playing their role as a responsible citizen,’ he said.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith last night accused ministers of ‘losing their nerve’ over the lifting of restrictions.
He said: ‘This is not freedom at all. Ministers are being beaten up by the scientists in the media and they are beginning to wobble.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday said there would now be a clear ‘expectation’ that people should continue to wear face masks in crowded indoor settings
Britain has recorded 31,772 new cases of coronavirus and 26 new deaths in the latest government figures
‘The question for the scientists is: do they believe the vaccines work?
‘If they work – and they clearly do to reduce hospitalisations and deaths – then we should not be continuing to sacrifice the economy on the altar of some misguided zero Covid policy.’
While Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of lockdownsceptic Tory MPs, accused ministers of a ‘shift in policy’ and said that it was ‘torturing the nation’.
Arguing that for some people wearing a mask is a ‘terrible thing’, he added: ‘It’s not fair snatching away people’s hope, it’s psychologically, profoundly destructive.’
Last week, Mr Johnson said that mask wearing would become ‘a personal choice’ after July 19.
Several senior ministers, including Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Environment Secretary George Eustice said they would be ditching their masks at the earliest opportunity.
But Mr Zahawi said yesterday: ‘The guidelines that we’ll set out tomorrow will demonstrate that, including guidelines that people are expected to wear masks in indoor enclosed spaces.’
He also suggested the government is looking at a test and release scheme to replace self-isolation for those who come into contact with a positive case, amid fears that millions of healthy people will be doomed to house arrest as infections rise.
‘If you do test positive you have to and should rightly then self-isolate but it is important to look at that in a new context of this massive vaccination programme and make sure that it is fit for purpose for this new world,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Sadiq Khan is still considering a bid to force passengers to keep wearing masks on trains, Tube and buses in London.
The level of nerves among the wider public was demonstrated today as research by Opinium found half would prefer the unlocking slated to happen a week tomorrow to be delayed.
Some 31 per cent thought the timing was about right, while just 10 per cent said it should have been earlier.
The PM is expected to give final approval for Stage 4 of the roadmap tomorrow, with almost all legal restrictions set to be lifted.
But Nicola Sturgeon has already vowed to keep masks and other curbs in Scotland for longer.
Research by Opinium found half would prefer the unlocking slated to happen a week tomorrow to be delayed
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has warned July 19 could turn into ‘anxiety day’, complaining that face coverings should remain a legal requirement.
He told the Observer: ‘The government is simply wrong to frame everything from here as a matter of pure personal choice. It is not.
‘Many people who are vulnerable to the virus have to use public transport and do their food shopping in person.
‘That is why the wearing of face coverings in these settings should have remained mandatory.
‘I will be strongly encouraging the people of Greater Manchester to continue to wear masks on public transport out of respect for others.’
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said: ‘Given Sajid Javid now considers it irresponsible to not wear masks then it would be equally irresponsible for his government to carry on with the plan to lift mask requirements while infections are heading to 100,000 a day.
‘Reopening the economy must be done in a safe and sustainable way.
‘That means continued mask wearing, support for increased ventilation standards in premises, decent sick pay, allowing people to continue working from home and ensuring all can access testing rather than introducing charges for lateral flow tests as Sajid Javid now proposes.’
