Johnson says England may need stricter face mask rules

By David Milliken

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street, in London, Britain, July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said tighter rules on wearing face coverings may be needed to stop a resurgence in COVID-19 infections, and that he would like to see them worn more frequently in shops in England.

 

"I do think we need to be stricter in insisting that people wear face coverings in confined places where they are meeting people that they don't normally meet," Johnson said in a pre-recorded question-and-answer session with the public.

 

Britain has Europe's highest coronavirus death toll, with almost 45,000 confirmed deaths, and weekly figures on Friday showed a small rise in the COVID-19 reproduction rate, although the number of new infections continues to fall.

 

People in England are only required to wear face masks on public transport and when visiting hospitals, but on Friday Scotland made it compulsory to wear them in shops as well.

 

Just over half of British adults who left their homes last week wore a mask, rising to 89% of people on public transport, according to official data published earlier on Friday.

 

Johnson said he believed the scientific evidence that face coverings were useful was stronger than at the start of the pandemic, and that as lockdown restrictions eased they would be important in stopping a flare-up in cases.

 

"So that's why it's mandatory already on public transport, and we're looking at ways of making sure that people really do observe when you do have face coverings in shops for instance where ... there is a risk of transmission," he added.

 

Non-essential shops in England reopened to the public on June 15, and hairdressers, pubs and restaurants resumed business last Saturday.

 

However the number of customers in shops and cafes is only around half its pre-COVID level, and on Wednesday the government slashed value-added tax and announced other incentives to boost domestic tourism and encourage people to visit restaurants.

 

(Additional reporting by William Schomberg; editing by Stephen Addison)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-11

 

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About 4 months too late.

Pointless now, it's nearly over. I'm not convinced by wearing them in shops and walking along the street. 10 to 15 minutes close contact with someone infected, which is unlikely walking around in a shop.

i'm done with the whole bag checking situation. 

1 minute ago, mr mr said:

i'm done with the whole bag checking situation. 

Who is checking your bag?

3 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Who is checking your bag?

i'm a person who has feelings.....

 

 

8 minutes ago, mr mr said:

i'm a person who has feelings.....

 

 

I think you need chearing up chum!

 

1 hour ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Pointless now, it's nearly over. I'm not convinced by wearing them in shops and walking along the street. 10 to 15 minutes close contact with someone infected, which is unlikely walking around in a shop.

Look around, it's nowhere near over - looking back in a few years you will understand it's only just starting at this point

Well, I found a pack of 6 at reasonable price...

8 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Look around, it's nowhere near over - looking back in a few years you will understand it's only just starting at this point

In Jan-Feb-first half of March: only a few hotspots in Europe. And see, what it did in just 6 weeks.

Now, the virus is all over Europe ( and the rest of the world), waiting "for better times", might be Oct - March 2021. THEN - just like the last pandemic = Spanish Flue - the world will really learn want "pandemic" means, as we are too stupid, too ignorant, too lazy, too selfish to do what is necessary to "crush the curve".

Unbelievable this Boris character. Upper crusted more useless individual hard to find

And his girlfriend is upset about the monkeys nuts being picked (or something like that)

I could name at least one more ""useless individual "". Not too difficult to find either. 

Quote

tighter rules on wearing face coverings may be needed

I'll take a wild guess, because most people are not wearing them and see no need?

Come on the UK, even Donald has started wearing a mask.

4 hours ago, Logosone said:

I'll take a wild guess, because most people are not wearing them and see no need?

How many of those people who see no need are epidemiologists? And it doesn't take a wild guess to provide an answer: very very few.

On 7/11/2020 at 6:22 AM, rooster59 said:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said tighter rules on wearing face coverings may be needed to stop a resurgence in COVID-19 infections

So says the man without a mask.  ????