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Face masks SHOULD be worn on public transport and in shops after July 19 but you won’t be fined for ditching them
FACE masks should be worn on public transport and in shops after July 19 - but you won't be fined for ditching them, it was announced today.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the House of Commons that masks will be encouraged on public transport but will no longer be mandatory after Freedom Day.
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There will be no fines for not wearing masks and there shops will not be able to force customers to wear masks.
Nightclubs will also not be expected to force patrons to wear masks.
Mr Javid said people should continue to wear masks in some indoor settings after the next stage of the Government's road map for reopening commences next week.
The Health Secretary told the Commons face coverings were still "recommended" in crowded indoor areas and public transport even after Freedom Day.
Mr Javid said: "As we make these changes, it is so important that people act with caution and with personal responsibility."
He also confirmed that all legal restrictions on social distancing and gatherings will be scrapped on July 19.
In a stunning U-turn, he announced that vaccine passports would be required for large venues such as nightclubs beyond next week.
Speaking in the Commons ahead of Boris Johnson's 5pm press briefing, Mr Javid said: "We've looked forward to the day when we can roll back the legal restrictions and get closer to normal life.
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"Now, thanks to the shared sacrifices of the British people, and the protective wall of our vaccination programme, we have made huge advances."
He said the four crucial tests - the vaccine rollout continues at pace; jabs are cutting serious illness; infections don't risk crippling the NHS; there are no emerging worrying variants - have been passed.
Mr Javid told MPs: "We've looked closely at the data against these four tests and we firmly believe that this is the right time to get our nation closer to normal.
"So we will move to the next stage of our roadmap on July. And to those who say why take this step now - I say, if not now, when?"
In a sobering prediction he said soaring infections would "get worse before they get better" and repeated warnings of 100,000 cases a day this summer.
But Government modelling suggests hospitalisations and deaths will be nowhere near the level of previous peaks thanks to the UK's jab rollout.
Mr Javid outlined plans for large venues such as nightclubs to introduce a Covid certification system from next week.
Under the controversial proposals - previously ruled out Downing St - firms will be encouraged to permit people based on their Covid status.
Through the main NHS app Brits will be able to show if they are double-jabbed, have had a negative PCR test in the past 48 hours or a positive PCR test in the past six months and therefore bursting with antibodies.
BORIS TO SPEAK TONIGHT
Boris Johnson will spell out the need for caution as he announces later today that the country is on course to drop legal restrictions.
It means the end to the rule of six and social distancing and the reopening of nightclubs from July 19.
Masks will no longer be compulsory after a jabs roll-out, which the PM will say has saved 30,000 lives and stopped 8.5million infections.
Mr Johnson will tell a No10 press conference that freedom is “tantalisingly close”.
But he will warn: “Cases will rise as we unlock, so as we confirm our plans today, our message will be clear.
“Caution is absolutely vital, and we must all take responsibility so we don’t undo our progress.”
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday that the mask guidelines “will be very clear”.
He said: “There’s an expectation for people to wear masks indoors, in crowded places, on public transport.
“It is both a personal responsibility, and a corporate responsibility.”
Public Health England boss Susan Hopkins said people should try their best to continue working from home and mask up in crowded spaces after July 19.
She said hospitalisations could hit 4,000 a day and added: “It is not a time to be overly enthusiastic about social contacts.”
Mr Javid had earlier vowed to lift the remaining coronavirus restrictions on July 19 as he plans to make Britain the "most open country in Europe".
The Health Secretary said his main challenges as he takes up his new role are how to restore our freedoms and how to tackle the NHS backlog.
Mentioning the sacrifices made by British people during the coronavirus pandemic, he said it is impossible to eliminate the disease completely, so we will need to find ways to cope with it.
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The Health Secretary also urged everyone to get their jab as soon as they are offered one, describing the vaccination programme as "the single biggest contribution you can make to this national effort".
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Writing in the , he said: "We are on track for July 19 and we have to be honest with people about the fact that we cannot eliminate Covid.
"The economic arguments for opening up are well known, but for me, the health arguments are equally compelling."
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Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi says public will be ‘expected to wear masks in indoor enclosed places’ after July 19
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