Compulsory mask wearing ditched when Covid rules are finally relaxed on Freedom Day
COMPULSORY mask wearing will be ditched when Covid restrictions are finally relaxed on Freedom Day, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
Boris Johnson plans to tear up laws which force people to cover their faces on buses and trains, and in shops and other indoor venues.
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The Prime Minister wants to make it a personal choice rather than a legal requirement enforced with fines of up to £6,400.
And Mr Johnson will end the need to check in by signing a form or scanning a code when you go to a pub or restaurant.
Ministers are also discussing the possibility of allowing boozers to order drinks at the bar again.
Mr Johnson has won support from new Health Secretary Sajid Javid for scrapping the mask wearing rules on July 19.
But he faces a tough battle to win over senior medical advisers who insist the precaution will still be needed for many months.
A source said: “It’s all part of a shift from legal enforcement to common sense.
“There will be some official guidance that in certain settings, like a crowded train, it might make sense to wear a mask.
“But it will no longer be compulsory. People will be able to decide for themselves whether or not to cover their face.”
It comes as:
- Brits will reportedly be able to order at the bar in boozers from July 19 as the government scrap social distancing measures
- Face masks will be a "personal choice" after July 19, a minister has confirmed
- Boris Johnson is set to scrap the QR code sign-in requirement for pubs and restaurants to curb the number of Brits being forced to isolate through the NHS app
- Double-jabbed Brits returning from amber-list countries 'won't have to quarantine after July 19'
- School bubbles are set to be dropped after a senior government vaccines adviser said they risk paralysing society and bringing in a lockdown by the back door
One minister told The Sun on Sunday: “It’s all about learning to live with Covid. This virus is going to be around for some time and with so many of us now vaccinated, we’re going to have to make up our own minds on when to cover up."
Mask laws mean it is an offence for people to board a train, bus, plane or taxi without wearing one, unless medically exempt.
They are also a legal requirement in shops, supermarkets, theatres, libraries, churches, youth and social clubs, hotels and most other indoor settings.
A first offence carries a fine of £200, reduced to £100 if paid within 14 days.
The penalty doubles for repeat offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
Mr Johnson will announce he will scrap the law as part of the fourth and final step of the plan back to a normal life, The Sun on Sunday has been told.
But England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty — along with other health advisers — wants the use of masks to continue after July 19.
British Medical Association boss Chaand Nagpaul wants indoor mask wearing to be among a number of “targeted measures” to stop the virus spreading.
However, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he expects to stop wearing a mask “as soon as possible” after the legal requirement is lifted.
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Environment Secretary George Eustice added: “I think a lot of people will want to shed those masks. I want to get back to normal.”
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Meanwhile, teachers will be expected to be double-jabbed before kids go back to school in September.
And ministers are considering whether to allow fully vaccinated people to carry on life as normal — with no quarantine or daily tests — if they come into contact with someone with coronavirus.